


Stray Dog

by ChelleLew



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-02-27 16:17:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 39,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2699339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChelleLew/pseuds/ChelleLew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Denise Chester was a normal, everyday school teacher. While going about her usual day, Denise catches the eye of Dean Ambrose. See how this average elementary teacher makes an impact on the life of this self-proclaimed stray dog.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Denise Chester walked her class to the gymnasium for the B. A. Star assembly. There was a WWE house show in the big city and the small school where she was teaching had been selected for this honor, even though they were outside of the city. She figured none of the main eventers would be there, but the kids would be thrilled to see any of the wrestlers that came.

As expected, the assembly began with some of the lesser known stars; announcers and NXT performers. Ms. Chester sat beside her class, taking it all in. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught one of the more athletic little boys elbowing one of his friends and pointing at one of the other boys in her class. His brown hair was hanging in his eyes and his clothes weren't top of the line. He was that student who never applied himself but she was sure he was smart. He happened to look around. Ms. Chester caught his eye, crooked her finger, and pointed to the spot on the floor next to her. He shuffled over. She leaned over to him and whispered, "Who is your favorite wrestler?"

The boy's eyes widened as he looked at his teacher. He whispered, "Dean Ambrose." He looked back at the floor.

"Ah, good choice. He's a hard worker, does a good job on the microphone, and has a variety of moves. Do you know any of his moves?" she asked.

The boy looked up at his teacher. "He does the Crossface Chicken Wing."

"What about the Facebuster?"

"Dirty Deeds."

"Rebound Clothesline."

"You watch wrestling?" The little boy looked up at his teacher, absolutely amazed.

She smiled at him and said, "I do. And I know you can go amazing places when you believe in yourself and have a little help."

The two were shocked when the last superstar was announced. His music hit. The child whispered, "It's Dean Ambrose!"

________________________________________

Ms. Chester lined her class up to walk back to the classroom. The student she had newly bonded with had taken the spot at the head of the line. She saw the two boys maneuver to get behind him. "Boys, we don't cut in line. What's the penalty for that?"

"To the end we walk."

The class headed for the door, waving at the wrestlers as they walked past. As they reached the gymnasium door, the students started whispering. Ms. Chester turned barely maintaining her composure as she found Dean Ambrose approaching. "Mind if I talk with him?" he asked, pointing at the student in the front. Ms. Chester told her student to make sure he returned to class, knowing that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the child.

There wasn't a lot of time left in the day, so Ms. Chester had her class write a summary of what they had learned from the B.A. Star assembly. Then she had her students pack up to go home.

________________________________________

Denise kept to her normal routine. She straightened her classroom. She picked up the trash off the floor. She chatted with the custodians. She made sure she had all the copies she needed for Monday. Looking around the room one last time, she moved the desks of three boys and smiled. Then she filled her bag with papers to grade over the weekend. "Oh, the life of a teacher. WooHoo! Grading papers and writing lessons." Turning off the lights and locking the door, she headed down the hall, saying goodnight to her colleagues.

Denise walked out the front door of the school and across the parking lot, purse and bag in one hand, car keys in the other. As she walked, she heard footsteps, heavy footsteps, approaching. Her heart started racing. She tried to tell herself she was being stupid.

Reaching her car, she unlocked the doors and threw her belongings into the backseat quickly. As she opened the driver's door, she hit the lock button and started to slide in. A large hand grabbed the door frame. She bit back a shriek.

"Ms. Chester." Her eyes flew up to see Dean Ambrose standing next to her car. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. "Our mutual friend said you were a fan."

"Did he?" Denise raised an eyebrow.

"He reminded me of someone I used to know." Dean leaned forward, resting his chin on the top of her door. She leaned back against the open frame, crossing her arms under her breasts. This act did not go unnoticed by Dean. "Damn, I wish I'd had a teacher like you when I was his age." She raised her eyebrow again. "You look like The Rock when you do that."

"You think I look like a six foot five inch, 260 pound, bald, Samoan man? Ah, okay…"

He chuckled. "Smartass." He let go of the door. "I saw what happened in the gym. How you handled that. Both times you were on top of it and he knew it. They may not have, but he did. You are damn good. Pretty damn hot, too." He came around her door.

She held up her hand, her palm flattening against his chest. "So, let's see if I understand what The Street Dog Dean Ambrose had just laid out for me." She stopped leaning on her car. "You spied on me doing my job. You pumped one of my students for information. And then you stalked me in the parking lot after school and tried to give me a heart attack by following me with those damn boots on." She stepped closer, getting into his personal space. "Then, you get real close and give compliments, thinking that a little school teacher will happily fall at your feet. Am I close, Mr. Ambrose?" Denise gave Dean a slight shove away from her car. "Because I am not impressed."

She put one foot into her car and sat on the driver's seat. Dean squatted beside her, his hand on her calf. "Um, who's at whose feet?"

Denise's head whipped around to look at the man beside her car. "What?"

He looked up at her through the blond hair that had fallen over his eyes. "You might not be impressed, but I am." he said softly, his fingers lightly sliding a few inches up and down her leg.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"I have no fucking clue." he admitted.

"Get in the car." Denise pulled her leg from his grasp and put the key in the ignition. Her hands held the steering wheel tightly. She watched as he rounded the front of her car and yanked open the passenger door. He bent his large frame in and slammed the door shut. The car was moving before he found the adjustment for the seat and got himself buckled in. "Are you going to the house show?"

"Nah. Got the night off for doing this today." He was quiet for a moment. "Ideas?" Oh, Denise had a few ideas. A half smile crossed her face as she guided the car along the roads to her house. "Ideas that you care to share?" He had seen her grin. She still remained silent. "This could be an interesting night." He drummed his fingers against the window.

________________________________________

Denise pulled her car into the garage. As the door was closing, she turned to her passenger. "I know your reputation. I know what you want. And I know you probably want some dinner. I happen to be an excellent cook. You do what I want and there's a win in here for everyone." She got out of the car and headed for the door of the house. "You can start by bringing in the things from the back seat." She tossed over her shoulder.

Denise hadn't been inside for more than a minute when the door opened again. She turned and said, "Shoes off. No mud in my house." He dropped his shoes in the bin by the door. "My school bags go there." She pointed to a spot on the floor next to the living room sofa. As soon as he put them down, she said, "What should you get for following directions so well?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" he said with a smirk.

Denise shook her head. "No rewards for smart aleck answers." She went into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses. He was right behind her, pressed against her. Denise turned, put her hand to his chest, and pushed him back a step. "You have to earn your way here. Nothing is free." Denise side-stepped and used the automatic dispenser to fill the first glass with ice. Dean reached around her to take the glasses and set them on the counter. Then he set her on the counter.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked, finishing the task at hand.

"Tea, from the fridge."

"Do you mind if I have some?" he asked.

"By all means." she smiled when he handed her the glass. He leaned on the counter beside her. The only sound in the kitchen was the clinking of ice cubes on glass. Once her tea was gone, Denise fished out a cube and handed Dean her glass. "This needs to go in the sink." He had a glass in each hand and started to move way, when she caught him around the waist with her feet. "Don't drop those glasses." she whispered, pulling him back against the counter.

She trailed the ice cube around his collarbone, up to his chin, towards his ear, and back down again. She heard a change in his breathing. She slid both hands to his chest, around once, and along the waistband of his jeans. He turned his head towards hers, and she let him go. Dean's eyes were turning hard as he went to sit the glasses on the counter. "The glasses…go…in…the…sink." Denise said. Because she was sitting on the counter, they were eye to eye. After a moment, Dean turned and headed for the sink.

When he turned back around, the kitchen was empty.

So were the dining room and living room. It was when Dean looked to the top of the stairs that he saw her standing. Waiting. Slowly he walked up.

When he got within reach, she ran her fingers through his hair. She had stopped him so he was below her, at breast-level. He reached out his hands; one to the wall and the other to the banister, to keep himself steady. She put a finger to his chin and tilted his head up. "Relax, I don't bite."

"Not even if I ask nicely?" he whispered.

She leaned down so her lips were just touching his. "Comments like that deserve something old-school, don't you think?" Denise nipped at Dean's top lip. "Do you think a comment like that deserves an old-school punishment?" She nipped at his bottom lip.

Denise saw that Dean had a white-knuckle grip on her banister. She leaned in pressed a fast and hard kiss to his mouth, and slid her hand quickly along his crotch. Then she spun and headed for her room, adding a little extra swing in her step.

When Dean tried to cross her threshold, she held up her hand. "I asked you a question two times and you did not answer me. I don't know that you deserve…"

Dean stood there, arms propped on the door jam, rocking back and forth. Denise stood still, feet from the end of her bed. They seemed to be locked in a hopeless battle of wills until Denise raised one eyebrow. Dean dropped to his knees and Denise captured his jaw in both of her hands. "Good choice." She dropped a kiss on his nose before turning around. "Zipper." He made quick work of her zipper and she turned back around as he slid the dress from her body.

"Please…" She nodded. He buried his face between her breasts, breathing deeply. Denise felt his tongue laving the valley between the two. He reached behind her, unclasping her bra. Once free, he suckled one breast and massaged the other. "Oh, God." He moaned. Denise's hands tangled in his hair once again. He rotated from breast to breast, feasting and moaning, delighting in her endowments.

Denise pulled Dean back by his hair, giving him a somewhat gentle kiss on his mouth. "Take that shirt off." As he did, she leaned back on the edge of the bed. Dean was still kneeling on her bedroom floor. She reached out one foot to graze his arm. "Come here, feast away." Dean's eyes lit up like crazy. He reached for her panties, pulling them free quickly. He buried his face in her cunt like it was a free buffet and he was a starving man. He was lapping and sucking and thrusting like there was no tomorrow. Denise came quickly.

As Dean jumped up and reached for his pants, Denise put her hand on his. "Slowly." She stood and walked behind him, caressing him and kissing his back. She whispered against his skin, "Slowly strip and lay down on the bed. Face down." Dean's eyes were wild. Denise ran her hand across his cock. "Strip and lay down." She squeezed him tight. Dean was on the bed in less than three seconds without a stitch of clothing. "Close your eyes.

Denise whispered, crawling onto his back. When Dean did, Denise grabbed the handcuffs that were attached to her bedframe and slapped them on his wrists before he could move. Then, as he rocked underneath of her, trying to fight the cuffs, she tapped his ass with her hand. "It will do you no good to fight me. I am in control. Did you or did you not say you wished for a teacher like me? Wish granted, you have me. Now, take your lessons like a good boy." Denise wacked Dean's lily-white ass again.

Dean slid up on his knees to relieve some of the pressure. Denise slid her hand underneath and grabbed his cock. "I thought so. I tan your ass and you get excited. You are a bad boy." She whispered in his ear."

"Only for you." he replied. She stroked his length, drawing out a low groan. "Oh!"

"Roll over." He rolled, arms crossed over his head. "Let me explain how to eat someone out. She grabbed ahold of him. "It isn't a rush job." She started to slowly stroke him. "Draw out the pleasure. You want to see if you can make their toes curl." She leaned down and kissed his tip. Then tongued the rim. She slowly circled the head. Finally, she brought him into her mouth. "Anticipation. Desire. See if you can make eyes roll back into someone's head."

Denise moved up to kneel over his mouth. "Are you up for the challenge?" This time, he kept Denise right on the edge. Every time she was close, he backed her down.

Frustrated, Denise pulled away and sat on his ramrod length. "Fuck!" she screamed. She raised up and slammed down, raised up and slammed down, working herself into a frenzy.

"Cum for me, cum for me. That's it, baby. I want to see you cum." He moaned.

Denise rocked forward and Dean caught her, trapping her briefly. He rolled her beneath his massive body, gaining control. Dean's fists were around the bars of the headboard and now she reached up to place hers underneath his. Her breasts were mashed into his face. Her legs were wrapped around his. And now it was the woman underneath of him who gave him the order to cum, causing him to finally be able to release the stream that so desperately wanted to flow.

"Now, can you get rid of the cuffs?" he asked burrowing his face in her hair.

"I don't know if you've learned anything yet. You're still…" Dean thrust his still buried cock into her warmth once again. "Mmmm. Horndog. Complete and total horndog."

"That I am." he agreed. "Like a stray dog, if you feed me and pet me, I will keep coming back." Denise turned to look at Dean. "What? You are the one who chained me to your bed. I assume you want to keep me. Now, feed me, woman!" he said with a smirk on his face and another thrust of his hips.


	2. Chapter 2

Denise stirred the spaghetti sauce again. She reached for the spatula to turn the ground beef, only to be splattered by the sizzling grease. An involuntary "ouch" escaped her lips. She was quickly spun and her wrist was doused with cold water.

"Dean, baby, I am fine." she assured the man holding her arm under the running water.

"You said ouch."

"Yes, but I am okay. It was temporary." she assured him. "Nothing like you get in the ring."

He slid his hands up her arms and buried his nose in her hair. "You are so different…so, so different." Denise turned the water off, wiggled her way around, and drug her fingers through his hair, bringing his face down to hers.

"Not as much as you'd like to think." she said, taking a little nibble of his bottom lip before returning to the stove. Dean groaned and grabbed a hold of the sink. "You can set the table. We'll need forks, knives, and drinks. We'll take the plates with us."

Once that simple task was completed, he returned to the kitchen and saw her reaching for a colander. A colander on the top shelf. When all she was wearing was his shirt and a pair of panties. Dean stalked across the kitchen and pinned her to the counter with his hips, reaching over her head for the colander. "Is this what you needed?" he muttered in her ear, sliding his hand along her hip.

"That and to drain the noodles. Can you handle that?" she whispered, dragging a hand across his bare chest.

Dean growled and quickly did as she asked. As he was doing that, Denise drained the meat and grabbed their plates. Dinner was served.

________________________________________

Dean sat down in the chair first, reaching for his silverware. Denise reached over and took them from him, shaking her head. "Manners, manners. You have not asked if I needed help. You have not checked to see where I wanted to sit. You did not wait for me to sit to hold out my chair. Basic manners, Dean. You have to learn." Dean looked down. "Head up and hold on to the sides of the chair."

Denise twirled a forkful of spaghetti on her fork. She raised it to Dean's mouth. As he chewed, he closed his eyes and savored and tasted. Denise ate a bite. She fed Dean another bite. On his third, she undid the button on his pants. On his fifth, she undid his zipper. By the twelfth bite, Dean had no pants and didn't care. He was being fed a home-cooked meal. Life was great! On the fifteenth forkful, Denise was straddling Dean's legs, when sauce dripped onto her front. She shook her head. "You made a mess, Dean. Clean it up."

Dean lowered his head, sucking the sauce from the shirt. He used his teeth to pull the shirt up, baring Denise's legs. She smirked, pulling the hair on the back of his head to make their eyes meet. "You think you're so smart?" she asked just prior to whipping the shirt over her head and dropping it on the floor. She picked up a noodle and started sucking on one end, letting the other trail across her skin. "Get to cleaning…" Dean went to work, leaving a wet trail across her neck and chest. Denise moved slowly in his lap, creating friction that he couldn't ignore. When Dean gave up pretenses of cleaning sauce from her skin and simply buried his face in her neck. Denise picked up the pace, rocking harder against the growing bulge in his boxer briefs.

She slid her hands to the waistband. "Do you want to lose these?" She whispered. He raised up. She tugged down and then sat back on him. She continued to torment, her panties the only thing keeping them apart.

Denise slid her fingers into Dean's hair, kissed him hard and said, "Now. Show me what you can do. Now."

Denise heard the plates hit the floor. She felt her panties tear. She was flat on her back, hips on the edge of the table, legs around Dean's waist as he plunged inside. Hard and fast. He was bent over her, his face still buried between her neck and between her breasts. He held on to her shoulders, not letting the force of his thrusts send her body across the table. Over and over he slammed inside of her. Over and over she screamed his name. Finally they crested together.

As they panted on the dining room table, one mumbled to the other, "Dessert?"


	3. Chapter 3

Denise lay in her dark bedroom knowing that the muscular man beside her wouldn’t be there much longer. She heard his soft, rhythmic breathing and occasional snores so she knew he was sleeping soundly. She was not a true dominatrix; she was very well read and knew so much about this man, if she was going to stand out in his mind she was going to have to behave differently than the other women that fell at his feet on a daily basis. Denise pulled back from his heated body slowly, making her plan. She quickly crept down the stairs and retrieved the items she wanted, racing back to the bedroom. Then she tiptoed around, snatching up the required pieces she needed and put them into place.

Dean realized that the warm body that had been plastered to his side was missing. He tried to reach and roll to find his woman only to find he couldn’t. He couldn’t see a blessed thing, either. Just as he was about to fight and flail, he heard a whisper in his ear and felt a dribble hit his chest. Damned if is cock didn’t spring straight into the air. “Don’t panic. Trust me. This is all…for…you. Just…feel.” Her finger trailed through the wet stuff on his chest as her tongue wound its way around his ear and jawline. When he turned his head to capture her lips, she dropped to his neck and then to his chest. She licked and sucked, twirled and plucked her way around while he groaned. Dean felt the mattress shift and knew that she had moved to straddle his thighs. He began rocking and thrusting, hoping to find what he was searching for.

He succeeded in finding her hand, grasping an ice cube. He swore and jerked against the scarf restraints, but it was no use. She continued to slide her hand up and down his shaft, the ice quickly melting and pooling. Denise heard a strangled, “Please” torn from the man’s throat.

She leaned close, nipped his stubbly jaw and whispered, “Please what? You have to be specific.” As he craned his neck backwards and panted, Denise hovered over his cock. She knew he could feel her body heat.

“Please!” he repeated, the tendons in his neck on the verge of popping. Denise sank down slowly. “Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.” he moaned. She raised up and sat back down slowly before leaning forward to place a gently kiss on his lips. “Let me…”

“Nope. Use your senses.” Dean heard something that sounded like a bottle opening and then the bottle being set back on the table. She rocked back down before leaning forward again. He felt a breast touch his lips. He raised his head as high and as fast as he could, capturing the peak on a suckled groan as he thrust upwards with his hips.

“Mmmm, honey.” He said with a smile when he thought he had one clean. Denise caressed his head as he started to rout and find the other breast. As soon as he swiped his tongue across one side, he moaned, “chocolate” and began his attempt to devour his dessert. Denise’s excitement was becoming difficult to control and she was rocking harder and harder against his erection. “That’s it baby.” he groaned as she stifled a scream.

Somewhere in her erotic fog, Denise recognized the sound of ripping fabric before she felt Dean’s hands clutching her hips. She reached down and pulled the scarf blindfolding him away as he held her higher in the air. Dean positioned her so that he could slam into her body from the bottom; he wasn’t able to hold back anymore. Denise curled her fingers against his chest, flung her head back, and fell over the edge of oblivion screaming his name. Dean was right behind her, grunting out her name. ________________________________________

The scraps of fabric and remnants of the night were piled beside the bed. The sun had risen several hours ago. Denise pulled away from the oven-like body that had inhabited her bed – and her body – for the night. This interlude was drawing to a close. She could feel emotions welling up inside that she didn’t want to deal with, especially not with the man causing them so close at hand. She headed for the bathroom and gently closed the door.

Denise used some mouthwash while waiting for the water to warm up. Then she climbed into the shower and lathered her hair. She scrubbed it vigorously, loving the feel of her fingernails on her scalp. A sudden cool breeze on her legs and large hands stilling hers made her pulse race. Lips pressed against her right ear and a gravelly voice grumbled, “I don’t like waking up alone.” His mouth dropped to her neck, where he started with a kiss that changed to a nibble which morphed into a suckle. His hands slid from her head along her sides until one fondled her breast and the other hovered over her clit. “Hold on, baby.” He dropped his hand and rubbed that button perfectly. Denise gasped and clutched at his arms, rocking back into his body just before her knees gave way. “I’ve got you.” He swung her around and pinned her to the wall of the shower, wrapping her legs around his waist. “You have had your way with me all night. Now, you are mine.” Dean surged forward and impaled Denise on his turgid cock. Her sudden inhale and clenching of all her internal muscles took Dean close to the brink. He grabbed her hands and held them over her head. “This isn’t over. We. Are. Not. Over.” He slammed into Denise over and over again, staring into her eyes the entire time. Neither one could look away as their bodies tensed and folded at the same time. Neither one could speak or move. The only sound in the room was harsh breathing and running water.

As Dean slid to the floor and pulled Denise down on top of him, muttered quietly, “I meant what I said. Not done by a long shot.”


	4. Chapter 4

Dean asked Denise to drop him off at the local car rental place Saturday morning. He had to make the house show Saturday night.

Denise spent the rest of the day following her normal routine; catching up on laundry, scrubbing floors, cleaning the bathroom…the only thing she did not do was change her pillow cases. She wanted to keep his scent close for a little while longer. By evening her work was done and she had to face her first night alone. It seemed long, even though she needed to catch up on a lack of sleep because her dreams were full of tousled blond hair and blue eyes. His scent still clung to her pillow and filled her nose, just as she had planned.

Sunday was spent working on her school work and watching football. This was her normal routine, covering her coffee table with papers, screaming at her television, and wearing her favorite jersey and bike shorts. Halftime of the first game was approaching when a car pulled into the drive. Denise peeked through the curtains at the unfamiliar car just as a pounding rattled her front door. She turned to catch a glimpse of a now familiar backside, realizing who was beating on her door.

As she opened the door, Dean attempted to be casual. “Hey. I was driving past on my way to the next house show and thought you wouldn’t mind if I dropped in. I only have an hour, maybe an hour and a half…” Denise grabbed him by the belt loop and pulled him into her house, slamming the door shut behind him. Dean hoisted her in his arms and seared her with a brutal kiss. “I couldn’t resist. What is it about you?” he asked.

They groped each other frantically. “Dean, there’s no time for games.” she panted. “We both need…” she jerked his pants to his knees.

“Tell me you are ready.” His head dropped to her shoulder.

Denise bent over the sofa, dropping her shorts as she did. “Just, please…Dean. I need…” she begged. His arms slid up to hold her shoulders. One of her hands reached down to guide him in and the other grasped his hip. Dean set a fast pace, slamming into her at a ferocious rate. In and out, in and out. Not even four minutes after Dean walked into Denise’s house they were both screaming their orgasms in uncontrolled ecstasy and slumping bonelessly over the back of the sofa.

“Fuck. I really didn’t mean for that to happen quite that way.” Dean chucked against her skin. “Not complaining.”

“Hello to you to.” Denise giggled from underneath him, before squealing “Oh! They scored a touchdown! Yeah!”

“You can still focus on football? I must not have done my job properly.” Dean growled, renewing his attack on her body.

“How long do you have?” Denise asked as she ran her fingers through his hair quietly later.

“I gotta get on the road. Need to be at the arena in an hour and a half. Don’t think that will be a problem.” He turned so his head was now propped on her chest. “I know today was a little different than what we had before, but I just needed to see you. We’re still not done. We’ll figure it out. I promise. It’s not easy, but we’ll do it.”

“I’m not worried or clingy.” Denise said, pulling him close for a hard kiss. “You know what you have to lose. You’ll be a good boy.” She reached down and smacked him on the ass.

“Dammit, woman! I have to leave, not go for round three!”


	5. Chapter 5

Monday was a normal day at school. The students weren’t thrilled with their change in seats, but Ms. Chester was the teacher and what she said was the rule. Denise waited anxiously for Monday Night Raw. Dean’s match was spectacular, as usual. Then came the post-match interview. She sat at home watching Renee Young bat her eyelashes up at him, simpering and sighing. Dean seemed to eat it up. Denise wanted to scream. Sleep was difficult Monday night. “I need to forget Dean Ambrose. This was a one-time interlude. Forget it. And forget the WWE.” Denise approached Tuesday with a new attitude. She wore a gray pencil skirt and bright orange top. Wednesday she wore a bright red pencil skirt with a small side slit and a black tank sweater with a see-through top covering it. The students told her she looked really good and they paid attention all day. Her co-workers asked if she had a hot date that night. Denise laughed and said she was probably just taking herself out to eat. Her response was met by skepticism that afternoon as she returned from walking her class to the bus.

Getting back to her classroom, Denise first saw large boots propped upon her desk. She stopped outside her door and drew in a deep breath. Her gaze took in his jean-clad calves and thighs. Damn, he looked good. She hadn’t heard a peep since Sunday and today was Wednesday. _Surely he didn’t think?_ Denise raised her chin and strode into her classroom. “Hi, Doll. Sorry to drop in unann…”Dean took in the look on her face and trailed off.

Denise leaned over her desk glaring in to his eyes. “I don’t know how things work in your world, but silence in mine is rude.” She stood, making sure her back was straight, and collected her papers to grade. She made a quick perusal of the room, righting a few things. She grabbed her purse and bag and headed for the door.

Dean stood quickly. “I never got your number.”

“Hmm.” Denise nodded. “I teach my class to problem solve. You are a grown man. Maybe you should try that sometime.” She was down the hall, clocked out, and heading across the parking lot. Dean was nowhere to be found.

Denise headed home. She dropped her school bag, switched her sensible shoes for black heels, and washed her hands. Then she headed for the door, determined to find a nice restaurant and have a delicious dinner. As she opened her door, Dean blocked the entire frame. “I messed up. I should have called school on Monday and asked for your room. All I could think about was getting through Monday and Tuesday because I could get back here to you. I told you this wasn’t over.”

“Yes, yes. I chained you to my bed so I must want to keep you. I heard all that. Words are wonderful. Actions speak a hellofa lot louder.” Denise waved her hand. Dean grabbed it and held it close to his chest then slid it lower, cupping his crotch. He stepped into the house and pushed the door shut behind him.

“Tell me I can. Please.” he whispered, bracing his hands over her head.

“Dean” Denise said a lot more softly than she meant to. She cleared her throat as his head dropped to her shoulder. “Dean, I was going to get dinner.” He drew in a shaky breath. She slid her hands across his ridge and he rocked forward. “Oh, hell.” Denise pulled at his button and zipper. Dean’s hands were nearly trembling as he reached down for her skirt hem, sliding it up slowly. Once her skirt was gathered at her waist, he grabbed the center of her lace panties and tore them in two. Then he picked her up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and plunged inside. Denise screamed his name as she buried her hands in his hair. He held her hips and pounded into her time after time after time, until she screamed again and bit his shoulder.

When he gently set her down, he grabbed a towel from the nearby washroom and cleaned her up. “Now I will take you out to dinner. Like a real date.” Dean whispered into Denise’s hair. “Backwards, I know. I never do anything right.” He started to straighten himself up, but Denise’s gentle touch made him pause.

“You do a lot right, Dean. A whole lot. We haven’t labeled this and we don’t need to. I just had a moment of jealously with something and I have to deal with that. It’s me. And I’ll figure it out.”

Dean large hand caught her around the jaw and pulled her close. “I don’t know what this is either. I just know that I want more. So much more with you. No one else has caught my eye like you. No labels…”

“No labels, but I need rules. Rules, like monogamy. If you want to screw around, cut me loose.” Denise whispered.

“Deal. And I like the way things have been going between us. Ya’ know?” he nuzzled her ear.

Denise nodded. “I can do that. Most of the time. That means after dinner…” Denise looked at him with a teasing glint. “When we get back here, someone needs to be punished for all the days of silence.”

Dean groaned. “How fast can we get to dinner and back?” he said reaching for the doorknob. “I think I’ll drive.”

“Oh, I know you will.” Denise smirked.

* * *

 

Dean and Denise were sitting in a quiet corner of the restaurant when the first person walked over. “Hi, Ms. Chester! How are you tonight? Are you out on a date?” A few minutes later, another person walked past. “Do you remember me, Ms. Chester? You were my teacher seven years ago.” About the time their salads were served, they heard, “Oh, good. I had a question about tonight’s homework. You don’t mind explaining how to do this math problem, do you?”

Dean flagged down the waitress. “We need our food to go, please. As soon as possible.” He held out his hand and pulled Denise out of her seat. He guided her out to the car, putting the food in the trunk. “Damn, woman. I thought my meals got interrupted!” he tried to joke.

Her hand was shaking as she ran it up and down his thigh. She shook her head. “You said that you like how things have been between us. You have a role that you don’t normally have. Well, now you understand that I do too. What we have with each other, it’s not something that other people would understand or even allow.” Denise slid her hand from Dean’s thigh to his crotch, cupping it gently but firmly. He slid lower in the seat and gripped the steering wheel harder.

“Agreed. From here on out, though, we are staying in your house. No more interruptions.” He pressed up into her hand. “We need people to leave us alone. I will pick us up dinner and have it waiting when you get home tomorrow. If that is okay with you…” he added with a smirk.

Denise popped the button on the waistband of his jeans. “That sounds delicious…Sub.”

Dean cut his eyes towards Denise. “Whatever you say, Mistress.” He tried to keep the laughter from his voice. Denise slid her hand into his now-open pants and slid the tip of her finger across the tip of his cock.

“Maybe you should try that without laughing.” She withdrew her hand and licked her finger. Then she turned and propped her foot on the seat, giving Dean a glimpse of her panty-less crotch. Knowing that she didn’t want to flash other cars or truckers, she dropped her foot back to the floor.

Dean let go of the steering wheel and reached for her leg but stopped himself with a gulp. “Mistress, may I?” With her approval, his hand slid between her legs and teased her already wet pussy. Dean had to focus on the road, not on Denise biting her bottom lip or the wet grip around his finger. He focused on guiding the car onto the street and into the garage. Denise used the garage door opener to open and close the door. As soon as the door was closed, she released her seatbelt. Dean turned off the car.

“Keep your hands on the wheel.” Denise ordered, yanking on his pants. Dean raised his hips and finally jerked his jeans down to his knees. “I said on the wheel. Now there has to be a consequence.” Dean looked up at her with a smirk. “Ah, you like pain.” Denise straddled his waist. She dropped down and sat still. Before Dean could start to move, she locked his seatbelt. He tried to wiggle, but it held him in place firmly. “Don’t let go of that wheel, or I will get out of the car, Sub.” Denise said with a chuckle, nipping at his chin. The tension was building inside her as well, but she could feel how hard and thick he was and knew this was torture. Denise moved slightly, nibbling on his ear. “Are you learning any lessons?” She slid up and rocked back down in super slow motion.

“Laughter might not be the best thing. You are in control. My mistress is a fucking goddess.” Dean ground out.

“Your punishment will continue later. I want to cum. Now.” Denise ordered, grasping the seat on either side of Dean’s head. “Make it happen.”

“May I use my hands?” Denise nodded. Dean wrapped his arms first around her waist before they slid to her shoulders, holding her in place as he thrust fiercely into her willing body. Harder and harder. Until Denise wailed his name and he shouted hers.

Dean pulled Denise down until their foreheads touched. “I will be ready for any punishment you dish out after dinner. My mistress is one hella fucking goddess.” He punctuated that proclamation with a fierce kiss. 


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner was a quiet meal. Both people were trapped in their own thoughts, reflecting on the incident in the restaurant, the afternoon interludes, and the activities that were to come. Denise started gathering the take-out boxes, only to be halted by Dean’s hand on her wrist. “I’m thinking with my right brain now.” he said softly. “What did you mean by you were jealous? And if I want to screw around I should cut you loose? Damn, woman. Since I laid eyes on you, I haven’t been able to leave you alone. What have you got to be jealous over?”

“Dean…” Denise began.

Dean abruptly stood up and moved behind Denise’s chair, caressing her shoulders as he moved. “We agreed that we need rules. Monogamy. Mistress. Control. I am adding another; honesty. We have to be honest with each other. I cannot tell you that I can handle something that I cannot. You the same goes for you. If this gets too deep, too emotional, we have to say something. You opened a door before. I need to know what you meant.” He reached across her shoulders to grab the trash and throw it away.

Denise rose from her chair with her back ramrod straight. “I will agree to your rule. Honesty is required. And I will answer your question, in detail, upstairs.” The glint in her eye should have been a warning. A lesser man may have run. Dean took in her look, the tilt of her head, the set of her mouth and found that he was getting hard.

“After you, Mistress.”

* * *

 

Inside Denise’s bedroom, Denise held two pairs of fuzzy handcuffs in her hands. “To the railing, over your head” was all she said as she grabbed something from a drawer and headed for the bathroom. When she opened the door several minutes later, Dean was kneeling in the center of her bed, stripped and cuffed. Denise walked into the room in a full-body fishnet bodystocking. Dean’s already hard cock bobbed at the sight. Denise climbed onto the bed with a scarf, sliding it up Dean’s body before wrapping it around his head as a loose gag. Then she slid a cock ring into place and caressed him gently before whispering in his ear, “So, Dean…Does Renee make you feel like this?”

His head jerked back and his eyes grew wide. “That’s right, dear. I was watching Monday night Raw.” Denise’s hand was between his legs, holding his balls in her hands. “I watched her make eyes at you. She was simpering and sighing all through her interview, batting her eyelashes up at you and you ate it up like a kitten with fresh cream.” Dean shook his head no vehemently. Denise gave a gentle squeeze and moved around behind him. She whispered in his ear. “Are you saying I imagined it? I don’t know what I saw?” He shook his head again. She ran her hand over his ass. “Punishment. Count it.” Dean didn’t know where the paddle had come from, but it was a paddle that hit his ass. He counted aloud around the gag. Every third swat she would pause and caress his tender flesh, reaching between his legs to fondle his balls and thighs as well. At the halfway mark, she said, “And there was silence from Sunday until Wednesday.” By the time Dean reached twelve, he was ready to do two things; cry and explode. He never knew that spanking could be so erotic. Damn, he wanted her. Denise threw the paddle to the corner of the room as she moved back to Dean’s front. She grasped the iron bars crossing overhead and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Is this what you want?” she asked, sinking down onto his cock. Dean’s head dropped back as his hands grabbed the bars on top of hers. Denise could see his teeth gritting around the gag. She rocked up and down on him. “Oh, my. This feels so good!” She sighed. She tightened her legs and rocked harder. “Oh, Dean!” Her head dropped back as the first orgasm of the night took hold. When her hands began to slide from the bars, Dean held them in place.

Denise raised her head and met Dean’s eyes. She slid one hand from the bar and released the gag before leaning forward to kiss him softly. She wrapped both arms around his neck. His arms flexed tensely as his hips rocked forward. “I swear to you, you have nothing to be jealous about. All you, only you. No question.” He rocked again. “You have no reason, Mistress. Please…” He rocked into her again. “Please…”

Denise kissed Dean softly and then climbed off of him. She knew he was far beyond Dom/Sub play and was now a man in need. She stood at the end of the bed, directly in his line of sight, and peeled away the body stocking. “Are you sure this is what you want? This will keep you fulfilled?” A low growl rumbled as the handcuffs rattled and his cock jerked and smacked his lower belly. “You really need me?”

“Fuck, yes, woman.” he growled again.

Denise leaned across the footboard, ran her hand up his arm, and just before unlatching one cuff she laughed, “Then come get me.” As soon as she hit the latch, she headed for the door.

Dean had himself unlatched, the cockring gone, and Denise in his arms before she made it four steps. She squealed as she was lifted into the air. “Just hold on.” was all he could say as he plunged inside. Denise wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Dean had her hips in his hands, plowing into her repeatedly. “Denise!” He shouted as he came hard, so hard that he dropped to his knees. As he hit the floor, Denise came, arching her back so much that her head touched the floor and Dean tumbled on top of her. They lay there panting, caressing each other in the aftermath of this coupling.

Dean kissed Denise’s forehead. “As enjoyable as this has been, I am going to watch Raw to see what you saw. It won’t happen again.” He slid his hand into her hair. “I need a happy Mistress.”


	7. Chapter 7

Denise awoke Thursday morning and, for once, hated the thought of going to school. She was wrapped in a pair of large, muscular arms and held close to a warm, hard chest. She felt the rise of morning wood pressed against her backside, and her body was answering with a rising tide of dampness flowing between her legs. As she sighed and started to move, he pulled her back. His hand slid down to caress her breast. He pinched her nipple lightly. She moaned. He slid his hand along her stomach to the apex of her thighs. She held her breath. One finger crossed her clit causing her body to jerk involuntarily. Denise heard a husky chuckle in her ear as two fingers entered her body and his thumb rubbed her clit. He kept his hard rod sandwiched between the globes of her ass. Denise couldn't control the rocking of her body, which began to intensify when Dean started nibbling on her ear. "The way you make me feel, Doll Face…" he moaned. He felt the first tiny crest, her body gripping his fingers and her breath hitching. Dean quickly removed his fingers, lifted her leg high enough to slide his cock into place, and filled her. Denise arched in to him. Dean held her in place and thrust. Denise grabbed his wrists and screamed. Dean groaned her name against the back of her head as he came.

* * *

 

Dean kissed Denise at her door. "Have a good day." She harrumphed. "Remember that I will take care of dinner." He kissed her again.

"After my good morning, I can't believe I'm headed off to face a classroom full of cherubs." Denise grumbled. Dean laughed. "Seriously? You really want to laugh at me?" She raised her eyebrow in mock ire.

"Not a chance, Mistress." he teased back, pulling her in for another kiss. "I promise I will make your day worthwhile when you get home."

Denise finally headed out the door and was on her way to school.

Dean got on to her home computer to search for video clips of Monday night's Raw interview with Renee in an effort to figure out what Denise thought she saw. Once he figured out how to search for videos on YouTube, it didn't take him long to see why she was so irate. "I get the batting eyelashes. That is just ridiculous. Who thinks that looks attractive? It looks like she's got dust in her eye. And that is a sigh. It makes her chest bounce. That's why she does it. I get that one. But what is the simpering thing she was talking about?" Dean watched the interview two more times. "Oh! That shit that she was doing! Simpering! And every time she simpered, sighed, and batted her eyes, I was smiling down at her. No wonder Denise was pissed." Dean shook his head. He searched other interviews that Renee did. She tried the same stuff with Roman, but he shot her down. He didn't react anymore. It was obvious that there was a change between early interviews and later ones.

Dean called Roman and asked him what had happened in the past. It turned out that Roman's woman had taken him to task for flirting with the interviewer as well, really not appreciating his deep-throated "Babygirl" comments that were bandied about casually. Roman put a stop to the light-hearted flirting and his love-life was much happier. Dean nodded in understanding. "Since when do you have a steady girl to worry about?" Roman queried. Dean brushed off his questioning and headed for the gym that Denise had told him about. He needed to think about the information that he had learned.

_He had not done anything wrong. This was true. He and Denise were not a couple. This was also semi-true. They did have an understanding; a non-traditional relationship._  The more he thought about it, the more he understood her reaction.  _If he had seen Denise batting her eyelashes or simpering at another man, he would have been pissed._ Of course, Denise didn't do either of those things, so that point was moot. As Dean grabbed a hold of the bar and started the reps of his bench press, another thought dawned on him.  _If he had seen Denise dominating another man, bringing another man to attention the way she had done to him…_ Dean nearly dropped the bar. Just the mere thought drove spikes of pain into his heart.  _This is what she felt. This is what she felt on Monday, alone in her house, with no way to reach me, believing that I…thinking that I…She suffered in silence until Wednesday. She went about her daily life, living with the thought that I could be…with Renee. How? How did she put one foot in front of another? It isn't any wonder that she needed…_ He set the bar on the rack and lay on the bench for a few moments.

_It's put up or shut up time, Ambrose._

* * *

 

Denise received an e-mail from her home computer. "Take tomorrow off. Maybe Monday. Let me rephrase – Please take Friday and Monday off so we can have a long weekend together. I would like to spend some more time with you and would like to make some plans for the weekend in between shows." She reached down and pinched her inner thigh. "Ouch! Yep, I am awake." she said. She began compiling work to leave for the next two days, and a third (just in case). Over her lunch break, she went to the office and filled out the required paperwork. Since it was late notice, Denise was about an hour later leaving school than she had planned.

Denise pulled her car into the garage and closed the door. She got out of the car and tiredly grabbed her bag from the back seat, dragging it and herself towards her door. It had been a long day and she was running on very little sleep. She opened the door and kicked off her shoes before trudging towards the living room. She stifled a shriek as Dean appeared behind her and reached for her bag. Realizing his approach had caught her by surprise, he began to gently massage her shoulders. "You are very tense." he whispered in her ear.

"It has been a very long day." Denise murmured. "And I just wanted to be somewhere else."

"It has been a very long week for you." Dean corrected. "But all that is over and now you are in my capable hands." He pulled her into the living room and sat down in the big, overstuffed chair. She was in his lap, between his legs. Dean didn't let up on the massage. "You've got a couple of days off so we have a long weekend together, right?" She nodded. "I have some plans for us and I'm sure you will come up with some great ideas, too." Denise turned to face Dean. Before she could say anything, he spoke. "I watched Raw, just like I said I would. I talked to Roman, too." He took a deep breath. "I'm not saying I want PDA's and roses and holding hands and shit. But I want a label. And I want exclusivity. I want the right to beat the shit out of any man that makes a pass at you. You may be the Mistress, but I am still the man and I have the right to protect and defend you. You are mine." Dean's eyes had taken on a harsh glean.

Denise caressed his cheek and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "Where does this newfound enlightenment leave me with The Interviewer?" she asked against his lips.

"I have an idea for that, depending on how bad you want to be this weekend." he answered, his lips rubbing against hers with every word. "The point will be well made. Then I will request that she not do any further interviews." he promised. "Are you feeling more relaxed?" Dean's hand slid to Denise's hip. "Or do you need more help?"

"Decisive man, taking over the Dom role, eh?" Denise said with a smile.

Dean's fingers found the zipper on her dress and gently lowered it. "That is all you, Mistress. I am here to serve and relax you." Dean pulled her dress over her head and flung it away. He turned her to straddle him in the chair. "Right now, you are a bundle of nerves. Tense ones." He slid his hands along her arms. "Feel how tense your arms are? Relax. Relax." His hands slid to her sides. Her breathing hitched. "Slow, even breaths. Calm. Relax." His hands kept stroking, occasionally brushing underneath her breasts. Slowly they dropped to her legs, rubbing her thighs. "You are trembling. Calm. Be calm." Abruptly he stood, swinging her up into his arms. Her knees were draped over one arm and her back rested against the other. Denise locked her arms around his neck. "Trust me. I will never drop you."

"I know. This is…different. For us, I mean."

"We are branching out." he said as he walked up the stairs. "I learned a lot today." He spoke in almost a whisper as he laid her on the bed, rolling her onto her stomach. Denise felt him straddle her. He had found some of her lotion and began a real, true back massage. "I learned that I don't want to lose you. I learned that I am a jealous, possessive sonofabitch. I learned that you had to have been absolutely miserable from Monday to Wednesday with no contact thanks to that stupid interview." Dean leaned over and kissed her lower back, just above her ass. "I have so much to make up for, mainly I promise not to let it happen again." Denise tried to turn, but Dean kept her pinned. "This is about you, Mistress." he whispered against her skin, still rubbing the lotion in.

"Dean…"

Denise heard a low hum. A sound she hadn't heard since meeting Dean. "You dished out what you wanted last night. I want to do it my way tonight." he explained. "I can't explain it to you." Denise felt the electronic device slide between her legs. She had no hope of fighting.

"Dean, please." she begged. He slid it home. "Dean!" He rolled her over and captured her mouth in a deep kiss. Denise began to buck and writhe. Both of Dean's hands were busy, so he had no way to prevent Denise from reaching inside his pants and pulling his cock free.

"All you. No, no, no. All you." He mumbled as she stroked him.

"Dean!" Dean worked the vibrator feverishly, determined that her orgasm would swamp her quickly and overwhelmingly. Denise was equally determined that Dean was going to find satisfaction with her. She would not let him deny himself. Dean brought Denise to the brink. He could feel her entire body trembling, shaking with need. He could tell that she was fighting it. She held onto him, one hand on his cock and the other on his shoulder, begging him to join her. Her body was bowed on the bed; the small of her back was nowhere near the mattress. Her shoulders and heels were the only parts touching.

Her stuttered whimper finally broke him. "Pp-lee-ase..." Dean threw the vibrator on the bed and buried himself to the hilt. One single thrust. He was as deep inside Denise as he could possibly go; every last fraction of an inch was inside her tight channel. The spasming was instantaneous. As Denise's internal clenching set off Dean's, and neither one could move. They both clung to each other until they collapsed on the bed, confused by the tears leaking from Denise's eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Dean laid in the dark, looking at the sleeping form in his arms. He had made sure he lived free from strings, free from love, free from relationships for all of his adult life. Here was this school teacher – a school teacher – who brought him to his knees. He meant what he told her; he wanted to label them. He wanted to point at her and call her his…something. They weren’t a typical couple. He didn’t see her as a roses and chocolates woman. He would have to find something to send her, though. Sending her handcuffs to school would _not_ go over well. He had to smother a laugh at the thought. He couldn’t see walking into work holding her hand. He wanted to walk past Renee with Denise’s hand in his back pocket. He wanted to come backstage and know that she was waiting for him. And God save any man that looked at her. He could almost see a couple of the guys making passes just because they always did. He would become violent. He could see it happening. She was his. Only his. This thing that they had…He needed her. She calmed him. The things she did to him, he needed that with her. He could let her take control and he could just be. It was so relaxing. But he could feel her needing him, as if they fed each other. Dean drew his hand up and down her arm as she slept. These feelings confused him. This wasn’t supposed to happen to him. Certainly not as a sub!

Denise rolled over and buried her face into his chest. She rubbed her nose against him and sighed. “Are you going to sleep at all tonight? Or just think deep thoughts?”

“What is your favorite flower?”

“You are laying here wide awake because you don’t know my favorite flower?” He started to roll, thinking that she was making fun of him. Denise quickly realized her error, and moved to lay on top of Dean. “Hold on, hold on.” She slid her hands up to cup his cheeks softly. “Dean, what’s going on?” She stretched up to press a kiss to his nose and then his forehead. “Talk to me.”

He took hold of her hips, keeping her still. “I’m thinking. I don’t know your favorite flower. I don’t know if you like chocolates. We aren’t your typical hand-holding PDA couple. Thinking of another man coming near you makes me feel like fucking someone up. But I want to take you out and let everyone know you are mine. I don’t know how to do that. I’ve never wanted to do that before. I am laying here thinking about this and I realized that this is a first for me and I’m not terrified. I don’t want to change what we have, I like this. I need this, the way we have it.” Denise could feel his heart start to pound.

“But we both know that this isn’t traditional. A female…and a male…” Denise said.

“Exactly. But they are roles we need.”

“Dean. It’s no one’s business but ours. What happens in our bedroom happens here.” Denise leaned down to kiss him. “Outside of our bedroom, the traditional roles apply. When we go to your show, you will be the possessive whatever we are. I will listen to what you say.”

“And when we get to the hotel,” he said, sliding his hands to her ass, “I’ll be the one listening to your orders.”

Denise slid her fingers into his hair. “My orders?” She rocked slightly. Dean pressed up into her. She smiled slightly. “So if I said that I wanted you to make love to me.” Dean slid her panties to the side and was inside of her within seconds. “Oh, Dean.” He held her still and rocked the fraction of an inch between their bodies.

“Don’t close your eyes.” he groaned. Denise met his gaze. Her breathing sped up. His hitched in his throat. The grip on her hips tightened as he spilled inside her. She whispered his name as she came. 


	9. Chapter 9

Denise pulled one suitcase and slung her purse over her shoulder. She’d seen pictures of Dean arriving at arenas before, walking near Renee when they were doing their thing together. Denise was caught completely off-guard when he used one hand for all his luggage and wrapped his other arm around her waist. When she looked up at him, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips and led her towards the arena entrance. A security guard opened the door for the couple. Dean went in first, exchanging his grip on her waist for a tight grip on her hand. Once inside, he pulled her along until he found the men’s locker room that he was assigned to. After sticking his head in to make sure the coast was clear, he brought her inside. “We’ll leave our things here. They’ll be fine until after the show.” Denise put her suitcase next to his. Smiling, Dean wrapped his arm back around her waist. “Hungry? Let’s go to catering and get something to eat.” He dropped another quick kiss on her lips and pulled her towards the door. A small smile crossed her mouth.

When the couple reached catering, Dean kept his arm planted on her waist. He held his plate and Denise put food on both his plate and hers. Dean leaned over and spoke into her hair. “Two pieces of chicken breast please. I love that word, you know.” he whispered. “Is that a blush I see? I didn’t think I could make you blush.” he teased. “Mandarine oranges. Carrots. No broccoli. Why put broccoli out? Who wants to get in the ring with a guy who just ate a bunch of broccoli? The farts...Yes, I want a roll. No make that two.” They continued moving down the line until his plate was finally full. He guided her to an empty table. “Sweet tea, right?” Denise watched as he filled cups for both of them and returned to sit close beside her.  “This area will fill with my coworkers shortly. Don’t get overwhelmed.” Denise raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, like you’ve been overwhelmed by anything so far.” Dean reached over and took her hand. “You are mine, Denise.”

Suddenly Denise realized what was going on. She squeezed his fingers and gave a gentle tug. Dean leaned over slightly. Denise nipped his ear and whispered, “That is worth one lashing when we are in the room. Don’t doubt me.”

Denise watched Dean’s nostrils flare and eyes blaze. His grip on her hand tightened briefly. With her other hand, she brought a forkful of pasta salad to her mouth. Chewing slowly, felt Dean shifting in his chair. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I’ll see what I can do to earn a few more.” Denise swallowed hard as Roman and Seth sat down across from them.

“So, you are the one who’s been driving our boy batty?” Seth offered in greeting. Dean dropped his head.

Roman was kinder. “Welcome to the circus. What do you think so far?”

“Not too much of a circus yet.” she said with a smile. “I am an elementary school teacher, so I have first-hand experience with the circus.” Dean squeezed her hand again as he started to eat with his other hand.

Seth continued to push. “Are you two a thing now? Is this serious?”

Through a mouthful of chewed-up chicken and oranges, Dean said “Yup. We are.”

* * *

 

Arriving at the hotel, Dean checked in and led Denise into the elevator. Staying for the show and the long drive after had her tired and leaning against his chest. When the doors opened, they made their way down the hall to their assigned room. They put their suitcases on top of the dresser and turned to face one another. Dean kissed Denise gently. “Why don’t you grab a quick shower and we’ll go to sleep? It’s been a long day.”

Denise raised an eyebrow as she raised one hand to caress his cheek. “I want to get rid of the grime from the day. This is true. But…someone was naughty earlier. Twice. And now he’s forgetting where he is in charge and…”

A smirk blossomed on Dean’s face. “Yes, mistress.” Denise opened her suitcase and pulled out a travel-sized riding crop. One side had long tassels and the other side had feathers. She tapped crop on her hand. “You need to assume the position.” Dean looked Denise in the eyes as he removed his shirt and dropped it on the floor. He reached for his pants, sl-ow-ly dropping them to the floor as well. “You are testing my patience.” She walked around Dean and trailed the feather end up the back of his thigh. Dean shivered. “That is five lashes.” She whispered.

“Four, Mistress. That’s four.”

“Are you correcting me?” Denise said with a smirk. “That’s worth two more.” Dean’s head dropped to his chest as she drew the feathers across his stomach. “Briefs, too.” Dean dropped the briefs and kept his head down. Denise took his cock in her left hand.

She caressed him and said, “You know that you are the man that holds my attention.” Thwack.

“Yes, Mistress.”

“I don’t want to hear any more wavering on your part. No other man is going to catch my eye. Only you.” Thwack.

“Yes, Mistress.”

Denise stroked Dean harder. “I found it so…arousing when you told Seth we were a couple.” She leaned forward to nibble a little on his shoulder. “But you had to say it with a mouth full of chewed-up food. Ew.” Thwack.

“Never again, Mistress.”

“’Never again’, what? Saying we are a couple? Or talking with your mouth full?”

“Talking with my mouth full. I will always tell people we are a couple.” Dean whispered. “As long as you will have me.”

Thwack. “Are you doubting how long we will last? Are you thinking this is going to end?” Thwack.

“No, Mistress. We are perfect for each other.” Denise dropped the crop and knelt in front of Dean, capturing his cock with her mouth. “Missssss-ttt-ttress?” he stuttered, reaching forward to grasp her head. Denise held his balls in one hand, caressing them gently. She sucked deeply, twirling her tongue around the sensitive end. Her other hand rested on his hip. He groaned and rocked forward involuntarily. Denise felt his balls begin to draw up, so she pulled back. “You deserved a reward.” she said, looking up at his glassy eyes and heaving chest. She held up one hand, silently requesting help up from the floor.

Once up, she turned her back to Dean and gripped the edge of the desk. Her ass was tilted back in his direction. She met his eyes in the mirror. Dean’s hands slid to her waist and his cock rested against the seam of her ass. He slowly moved his fingers to her clit, watching as she bit her lip and arched her back. He worked her quickly, knowing it wouldn’t take much. Denise didn’t move her hands. She began to press back into him. “I want to cum.” she said. He started to work her harder. She shook her head slightly. Dean didn’t move his hands, either. He adjusted the angle of his body, lining up his cock and sliding into her body. He tightened his hold on her as the scream that began to escape died off and her eyes rolled back in her head and her head dropped back to his shoulder. The grip on his cock continued to tighten and release, letting him know that she was having an orgasmic blackout. He couldn’t help himself. She was still clenching him so tightly, he held her hips and continued to slam into her, emptying himself deep inside.

When he was able to move, he peeled her fingers from the desk and carried her to the bathroom. He adjusted the shower and climbed in with her. Denise slowly came around as Dean was washing her off. As she sleepily blinked, he stood her upright and began to wash her hair. “Almost done. Then we can go to sleep.”

“What was that?”

“Between being so tired and so excited, you had a little black-out. It doesn’t happen very often.” Dean said quietly.

“Have you ever seen it happen before?”

“Seen it, no. Heard about it, yes. Guys in the locker room have bragged that they have caused it. But no, I haven’t and I’m not going to talk about it with them.” A smile crossed his face. “My goal is to try and cause it again, though.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The happy couple runs into issues...  
> I'd love to hear what you think about this story!

Saturday morning seemed to arrive early. Dean’s ringing phone woke the couple. Roman and Seth wanted to meet up at the gym for their usual work out so Denise promised that she would meet up with the group afterwards for breakfast or lunch. Assured that she wasn’t mad, he headed out to meet his friends.

Two hours later, Denise was holding a table for the group at the restaurant. Each of the guys gave her shoulders a quick squeeze when they came in and found drinks already waiting for them. “Damn, Dean.” Cesaro teased. “How the hell did you get so lucky?”

Dean dropped his arm along the back of her chair. “All mine, man. Don’t even think about it.” All the guys chuckled.

Cesaro looked at Denise and winked. “If you ever want a classy man…” Denise reached under the table and rubbed Dean’s thigh as she held up the menu to hide her face with the other.

“Okay, okay. Stop teasing the nice lady.” Roman rumbled. The guys all calmed down and had a nice lunch. When it was finished, it was time to check out of the hotel and head to the arena.

* * *

 

Denise watched Dean’s match that night against Cesaro. She flinched as the match seemed to be a little too real. The punches and jabs kept coming, neither man giving the other any reprieve.

When the house show was over and the rental was packed, Dean and Denise drove to the next hotel. Denise reached across the car to stroke Dean’s hand that was resting on his thigh. She whispered, “You remember that I told you not to doubt us? No matter what anyone says, does, or offers. Unless…”

Dean clutched her hand. “You are mine. When we are in public, this is my role as a man. When another man…” he shook his head. “It’s just how it is.”

The rest of the ride was quiet. Check in was quiet. Preparing for bed was quiet. Dean stiffly crawled into bed. Denise lay quietly beside him, reaching over to rub his aching shoulders until he fell asleep.

Sunday morning, Dean once again headed to the gym with Roman and Seth. It was easy for them to see his head wasn’t in his workout. Roman questioned his friend as he spotted him on the bench press. Dean grunted noncommittally. “Whatever is going on between the two of you, don’t let it go on too long. If you don’t deal with it, it only gets worse.” he said before turning to walk away.

“Cesaro’s stupid comment.” Dean muttered. “I know I’m not worthy of her. She’s so…” he trailed off.

“That is a load of shit.” Roman responded. “That woman is so into you it isn’t funny. When has my woman gone to a restaurant to hold a table for us and ordered us drinks? Not just you, man. **All** of us. She’s special. She takes care of you and your friends.” Roman shook his head. “You fuck this up and you deserve to be alone.”

* * *

 

Denise was confused as to why she and Dean were walking so carefully around each other. They had been so open and real together, and now things were so different. She felt…confused. Raw. Exposed. By the time she woke up Monday morning and realized the bed was cold, she wondered why she had agreed to spend the weekend traveling with him. They were so much closer when she was hundreds or thousands of miles away from him instead of feet away.

Dean parked the car at the arena. The couple got their luggage out and took it in, with Dean leading the way. Once inside, Dean motioned for Denise to wait and he returned to grab her suitcase to take it into the locker room to put it with his. _Things have certainly changed in three days._ Denise didn’t speak her thoughts out loud. She hoped that they’d get back to an even keel when they had a chance to talk later on.

Denise saw Roman and Seth heading for catering, so she tagged along with them to grab a bite to eat. Dean seemed to be taking forever in the locker room. Cesaro stopped by the table briefly, apologizing to Denise in case he had made her feel uncomfortable before or if he had caused any trouble with Dean. Denise tried to play it off, but it was obvious to all three of the men that there were issues with the couple. Cesaro patted her shoulder and apologized again before walking away.

Roman spoke quietly to Denise. “You need to understand that he is completely different with you. This is new to him. He doesn’t know, and that’s not an excuse. Denise, the man is trying. Give him credit for that.”

She looked at Dean’s friend. “Roman, I give him all of the credit in the world. I get that this is new to him but he can’t shut me out. If there is going to be an ‘us’ he has to act like it.”

“Agreed.” the big man said. “He knows how special you are. He’ll figure out a way to tell you.”

The show had started and Dean still hadn’t shown up. Roman’s segment was coming up, so Seth and Denise began walking backstage looking for Dean. Seth mentioned that Dean had an interview planned before his match, so they headed for the interview area.

Denise froze in her tracks. Renee was propped against the wall, her leg hiked up, batting her eyelashes at Dean, who was currently leaning down over her. It looked like a very cozy moment between the two. Seth bumped into Denise. “You don’t know…”

She murmured, “But I know we talked about this. He knows. He knows.” Denise turned to walk past Seth. She quickly whispered, “Not a word.”

Seth followed her down the hall. “What are you doing?”

“I have to go. I can’t stay here and watch…I have to go.” Seth stopped her at the door to the men’s locker room, going in to get her luggage for her.

“Are you sure?” he asked. She nodded. Seth grabbed one of the stagehands and gave him a handful of cash. “Find her a cab. Don’t leave her alone.” Denise gave him a hug and was gone.

Seth waited until Roman was backstage before going to confront Dean. “So, you ditched your girlfriend for this cheap piece of ass?” Seth snarled.

“I thought you promised your girlfriend that you weren’t going to do interviews with her anymore.” Roman growled with his arms crossed over his chest.

Renee stuttered. Dean began to argue. “You don’t have a thing to say that I want to hear.” Seth shouted. “I was right beside her when she saw you with this whore! We saw it all, Dean. You were afraid to lose her, so you did the one thing you knew would drive her away. Congratulations, she’s gone. Keep your bitch. Stay the fuck away from me.”

* * *

 

Denise got to the airport and bought a ticket for the first flight to the city closest to home. She was afraid if she waited that Dean might come looking for her. She was more afraid that he wouldn’t. Since she took such a circuitous route home, it took her almost fourteen hours to get to her front door instead of the more direct three hour flight and drive from the airport.

As Denise was nearing her street, she could see her house. She saw him on her front step. She continued driving past her street and pulled over on the side of the road, out of sight. For the first time since leaving Raw, she turned on her phone. He had filled her box with messages hours ago. She couldn’t count the number of missed calls she had. He had even tried texting. The messages he sent were obviously distressed, filled with worry over where she was. He knew how long it should have taken her to get home and he was approaching panic.

Denise pulled back onto the road, turned around, and parked on the street in the neighborhood behind hers. She entered her house through the back door and went up to her bedroom. Looking out the window, she called Dean from her cell phone.

“Thank God you are alive! Where the hell are you? Haven’t you gotten my…” he started ranting and pacing as soon as he answered.

“I don’t owe you anything.” Denise whispered brokenly. Dean stopped talking. “For all you said, what you promised… **HER**. It had to be **her**.” She ended on a broken sob.

“No.” he denied.

“I know what I saw, Dean. I know what flirting looks like. I know what making a pass looks like. That wasn't a friendly conversation or running over interview lines. You got pissy over another man saying a couple of words. Yet she gets all flirty with you… ** _again_** …and you hang all over her… ** _again_** …and I am supposed to be okay with that? HA! I can’t do that, Dean. I can’t handle that. I know you think that I am some hard-ass dominatrix and all, but tha…” Denise choked on her tears. “You know, I have spent so much time crying over you in the last four days, I don’t know why I am still talking to you. Where is the effort on your part? Oh, that’s right. You need to work out your frustrations with Renee.” Denise hung up her phone and put her hand to her mouth to smother her sobs.

She repacked her suitcase and snuck out her backdoor, relocking it behind her. Knowing that, if Dean figured out she was nearby, all of the local hotels would be checked, Denise drove to the beach an hour away and checked in under an assumed name. She paid for the room with the rest of the cash that Seth had given her.

Dropping to the bed, her cell rang again. Seeing it was Seth, Denise answered. “Has he found you yet?”

“He was waiting on my front step when I got home.” she sighed.

“How did that go?” Roman asked.

“Speaker phone. Grreeaatt.” Denise groaned. “Actually, he never saw me.”

“What did you do?” Seth asked. “Dean said it was a three hour trip home. He was pissed at first, but now he’s just been freaking out because no one has been able to find you.”

“You have to talk to him.” Roman added.

“I did. I snuck into the house to get some clean clothes. I called and talked to him while I repacked. He was pacing in the front yard the whole time claiming that I didn’t see what I saw. It’s just…I don’t know how to get past this. I don’t know if I can. If I want to. If he wants to.” Denise ended her side of the conversation in a weak whisper.

“Don’t give up.” Roman encouraged.

“Where are you?” Seth asked.

“If I tell you, you'll tell him. Not going to happen.” Denise denied prior to hanging up.

Two hours later Denise’s phone rang. Dean’s message was very direct. “We will have this conversation face to face. You can run if you want. I will find you. I will fix this. Yes, I fucked up. I didn’t fuck her. My dick belongs to you and only you. That’s how I know I will find you. Realize that this isn’t an option, Denise. I don’t have a fucking choice. I need you. Sleep well tonight. Dream of me.”


	11. Chapter 11

Wednesday morning did not find a well-rested Denise ready for school. She drug herself into the hotel shower, frowning at the aches that wracked her entire body. Peering into the mirror, she wondered how she would cover the circles that were starting to appear under her eyes. _I should look so happy and ecstatic. Instead I look like death warmed over._ She snorted. _No wonder he wanted Renee._ She dropped her head as the tears began to form. _Stop. Stop. You have to focus on **you** now. Get through today. One day at a time. _ She splashed cold water on her face and got dressed. Then she applied concealer and light make-up before packing her car.

Denise made the hour-long drive to school, bypassing her house. She headed straight for her classroom, hoping to avoid a lot of questions. For the most part she was successful. While she was straightening papers that the substitute had left her teammates came in to see how her weekend getaway had gone. As soon as they saw her, they said, “Sweetie, you don’t look so good.”

“I’m okay. It was a long flight home. I just need to catch up on my sleep.” she said with a tired smile.

“Are you sure?” one asked. Denise nodded. They left without asking her any more questions.

Denise got all the copies she needed made for the day and headed back to her room. On the way, she started to feel light-headed. Once in her room she sat down and looked at the clock. _Five minutes until the students arrive. I don’t have a choice; gut it out, Ms. Chester._ She pasted a smile on her face and greeted a class full of students who missed her so much. They worked through the morning, reading and writing together. The students didn’t mention that it was out of the ordinary for Ms. Chester to sit in her chair, they were just so happy to see her.

Dean was frustrated. None of the local hotels would give him any information. He couldn’t find her car in any of their parking lots. The guys told him that she had been nearby and that she was safe; that she had seen him in front of her house. They said she wasn’t sure if she could get past “this”. The thought of losing her caused physical pain in his chest. He had gone back to her house that morning, but she hadn’t been there before school. He had resumed his perch on her front step just in case she had needed something.

Now that he knew she had to be at school, that’s where he was going. He couldn’t interrupt class. But he could wait there. _She would know he was there. That had to mean something. She would know he wasn’t giving up. She would know he wasn’t with Renee._

With security being as tight as it is in current times, Dean wasn’t allowed past the school office. He nodded at the secretary and sat in a chair in the lobby near her desk. He sat. And sat. For three hours he sat and didn’t say a word. He tapped his fingers on his knee or thigh, but didn’t speak or walk around. After waiting for about three hours, he asked where the bathroom was. The secretary gave him directions and watched him walk towards the office bathroom. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Denise Chester enter the office and head straight for the school nurse. _That was close._ She heard the two women talk softly. The nurse gave Denise a gentle hug and shooed her out. Denise just cleared the office door as the man who had been waiting all morning returned to the front of the office. The secretary put a finger to her lips as the nurse came over to her desk.

“She needs coverage for her class for the rest of the day. I’m sending her home. Poor thing is running a fever and looks horrible.” the nurse said.

The secretary nodded and picked up the phone, calling for someone that could cover a class. When she checked the front lobby, it was empty.

Denise had already packed her bags and clocked out. She grabbed her purse and the things she was taking home and headed down the back hall towards the parking lot. Denise walked slowly across the parking lot, trying not to cry. Her head was throbbing. The world seemed to be spinning. She was sweaty but she felt so cold. Her feet seemed to drag as she approached her car. Denise had her keys in her hand, attempting to push the unlock button on the key fob. As she pushed the button the keys fell to the ground.

“Dammit, Denise!” she heard growled from behind her. As she spun around she began to wobble and fall. Dean jumped forward and caught her arms, keeping her upright. He could feel her body burning up through her clothes. “What the fuck…” He tucked her to his side as he picked her keys up from the ground and unlocked her car. Dean put her keys in his pocket and scooped her into his arms, carried her to the passenger side, and fastened her into the car. Her head lolled back against the headrest, her eyes closed. Then he dumped all of her school things into the backseat. He ran back into the front office, past the secretary, straight to the nurse. “Look, I know you don’t know me or trust me. That doesn’t matter. I care about Denise and I am taking her home. I have no idea how to get her fever down. Tell me what to do to help her. _PLEASE._ ”

The nurse looked at the man who had been sitting for so long in the lobby and was now panic-stricken in front of her. It was such a dramatic change. She didn’t fear for Denise’s safety at his hands but a spiking fever could be dangerous. She gave him directions and her cell number. “I want a call from you in two hours. Let me know her temperature.”

“Two hours. I will call.” The hand that reached for the paper was shaking.

The sun was setting when Denise fluttered her eyes open. Her head still hurt. She looked around, seeing that she was lying in her own bed, tucked under a blanket. A towel was wrapped around her head. She heard a frantic whisper in the hall.

“Look, Roman, I need something else. This fever isn’t breaking. I’m doing everything that damn nurse and you guys have said. Alternate Tylenol and Motrin. I’ve carried her into the cool shower. I’ve put cool cloths on her head.” She heard his voice break. “That damn nurse said if this fever doesn’t break she’s going to call an ambulance and take her to the hospital. It’s like she knows it’s my fault, Rome. If she goes…” He paused and swallowed hard. “I know if I lose her now, if she goes to a hospital, I won’t get her back. This is the only chance I have to save us, man. What else can I do?”

Denise heard Dean come back into her room. She felt the bed dip when he sat at the edge and touched her foot. She whispered, “No hospital.” She felt Dean’s surprised jump.


	12. Chapter 12

“Crushed ice.” she scratchily whispered.

“I’ll be right back.” he promised, running from the room. She heard his footsteps thundering up the steps seconds later. He cradled her head gently and tilted the cup to her lips. Denise chewed the ice slowly and nodded for some more. After a few bites, he laid her back down. “What else can I do? This fever has to break.” Dean looked ready to cry.

“When was the last cool bath?”

“It’s been a little while. I’ve been talking to Roman and Stephanie. And that pitbull you call a nurse. She is going to want a report in less than an hour, Denise.”

“Call her.” Denise said. Dean’s hands were shaking as he did what she asked.

“It’s Dean. You said to call if there was a change.” Denise held out her hand.

“Hi. I woke up. Yes, I still have a headache. Yes, cool rags, ice chips, I know about Tylenol and Motrin, and I’m headed for a bath now. I’m going to get my temperature checked first. He’s been taking good care of me. Would you let someone know I’m going to be out at least tomorrow, maybe the day after?” The nurse laughed and told Denise that she was out the rest of the week. With a fever that spiked the way hers did, she didn’t want to see her back at school until Monday and that it might be a good idea to get a blood test. It was hard to tell what type of infection she had come in contact with as she had travelled through all of the airports and airplanes on her way home Monday night.

When Denise hung up, Dean carried her to the bathroom and helped her out of her robe. Oh, so gently he lowered her into the cool waters of the tub and sat on the floor beside her, gently waving the water over her. “Dean, what are you doing?”

“Anything I can.” He propped his head on his hand on the side of the tub, gazing at her face sadly. “You are sick. I need you well. I need you, Denise. I have to…” he trailed off and wiped his hand across his face. “I can’t. You are sick.”

Denise raised one hand, cupped a small amount of water, and dumped it on Dean’s head. “You wanted to talk. Talk. I am listening.”

Dean didn’t even wipe the water that she had dumped on him away. He just let it drip as he took her hand and held it in the water. “Do you remember when we first met?” Denise wrinkled her brow, unsure of where this was going. “You looked so fucking put-together. So fucking hot. Crossing that parking lot, I wanted you, anyway, anyhow. I told you then that I wished I had had a teacher like you when I was in school. The care you took with your class spoke to the kind of person you are. You are the whole package. Everything. And when I caught you at your car, you didn’t cower. You didn’t bend to my will.  You actually said you wouldn’t fall at my feet.”

“So you knelt at mine.” she whispered.

“You had me. Like I said – anyway, anyhow. I had to have you. And that night…” Dean was quiet for a second. “You had me. I’d never reacted so strongly to a woman before. I wanted…” He dropped his head and held his breath before expelling it. “It was more important to me to make sure you were…satisfied. That’s not the way I am wired, Denise. Not saying I’m a selfish lover, but...well, you know what I mean.”

“I do.”

“When I left, I kept thinking about coming back for you. So I did. The only thing I knew was where you lived, I never got your phone number.” He slid his hand into her hair. “When I got back on Wednesday and you were so…angry? Hurt? I thought about what we are. We talked. The thing is, I haven’t been a relationship guy. It goes back to my childhood. It’s ingrained in me.” Dean was quiet for a few seconds. “I really wanted to try with you.” He reached to the end of the bathtub and pulled the plug. “That’s why I suggested coming with me on the road.” He helped her stand in the tub and reached for a towel dry her with as he helped her out. He dried her off as he talked, as if he needed to do something with his hands as he talked. “Remember eating with the guys? When Cesaro said ‘If you ever want a classy man’ and asked me ‘How the hell did you get so lucky?’ Well, I keep turning that over in my head. I can’t figure it out. Why would someone as smart and classy as you, a teacher, want to be with me? I barely went to school. My past isn’t anything to be proud of. We are so fucking different. You and him, that would make sense.” Denise tried to grab Dean’s hands but he was moving too fast. “Colby said he was with you when you saw…He said I was trying to ruin things. He said I was afraid to lose you so I purposefully did the one thing I knew would drive you away. When I thought about it, I realized he was right. I had avoided you at the arena. I knew you would look for me. I flirted with her, encouraged her. I never touched her. I couldn’t. The thought of anyone else makes my skin crawl. But I know that you deserve better.” Dean dropped a kiss on her shoulder as he put her robe back on her. “I knew when you left. I knew you would come home. When I got here, you weren’t here. Hours passed, and you still weren’t here. I went from pissed that you left without a word to worried – out of my mind that I had no idea where you were.”

Denise turned and caressed Dean’s cheek. “I know that I am close to falling asleep again, but I need you to know a couple of things before I do.” She leaned up and kissed his lips softly. “No one is better for me than you. We are perfectly matched. Our weird edges complement each other. They don’t fit other people, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.” Her arm felt like lead and slid from his face down his chest rather quickly. Dean scooped her up into his arms and carried her to her bed. “I need…to…tell…you…”

“Shhh…” Dean shushed her. “This is a lot. You are sick. Eat some more ice chips.”

After he fed her, she curled into his side. “You did a lot of talking. I need to tell you that I am sorry for running. That’s why I am sick.” She yawned. “I caught something at an airport or on a plane. I should’ve fought for us. And when I got here and saw you on the step, I shouldn’t have run then, either.”

“You saw me?” he asked.

“I came in the back of the house and called from here. I was watching you while we argued.” Denise admitted as she tucked her head against his neck. “I felt like my world was falling apart and you were pacing in front of it.”

Dean wrapped his arms around her and kept her close. “Never again.”

He felt her exhale against his skin. Her eyelashes fluttered. He closed his eyes as he battled his arousal. She giggled softly. “You said you knew you would find me because, and I quote, ‘My dick belongs to you and only you.’ I wasn’t sure if I was running a fever or scared. I just knew you were coming for me.”

Dean’s hands slid up her back as he said gruffly, “Go to sleep. You aren’t in any shape to continue a conversation about my dick.” Denise felt the appendage they were discussing growing increasingly harder as she slid her leg across his waist and snuggled closer. Dean groaned.

“Just so you know, when I am back to my normal self…” she trailed off.

Dean muttered very softly, “With great pleasure. Anything you like.”  



	13. Chapter 13

Denise knew that was feeling so hot.  She was wrapped in an oven. She started to push away from the heat source in an effort to cool off. Dean felt her begin to struggle in his arms. Then he realized that her fever was climbing again. A quick glance at the clock let him know that three hours had passed since her last pill. “Hold on, hon. Give me just a second.” he whispered, bolting from the bed and returning with her medication. Then he stripped, yanked her robe from her body, scooped her up, and head for the bathroom.

It took mere seconds for Dean to get them both from the bed and into a cool shower. Not cold, not frigid, but comfortably cool. He sat on the floor of the tub, cradling Denise between his knees in front of him, with the water raining down over them both. Her back rested against his chest. His chin was perched on her shoulder. He placed both of her hands on his knees before entwining his fingers with hers. He whispered, “While you were out, this is how I cooled you off. I was afraid to put you in the bath. This way I could hold you and know you wouldn’t drown.”

“No wonder you were so fast.” She said with a smile.

“Sometimes fast is a good thing.” he agreed.

“Dean, I know that you”

“Shhh. Right now I just want to hold you.” he said.

Denise knew that she was still fighting the fever in her body. She knew that this was not wise. She was sitting naked flesh to naked flesh with Dean, and it had been **so long**. _When was the last time? Monday she traveled, Sunday was quiet, Saturday was the day Cesaro…, so Friday? The day of the desk-and-mirror-blackout? What day was today? Wednesday? Early Thursday?_ All Denise knew at this point was she was getting achy, and it wasn’t from the fever. Neither was the flush that was crossing her body. Sliding back just a fraction, she felt the steel of his cock press against the seam of her ass. _Maybe this won’t be too difficult._

Denise bit her bottom lip. “Dean, you need to caress me.” she whispered softly.

His breath hitched in her ear as his cock jumped. “You are still sick. We need to concentrate on getting you better.” he murmured into her ear as his hands slowly trailed across her ribs to mold to her breasts. He rolled her nipples between his forefingers and thumbs. “So beautiful.”

“I want more.” Denise moaned.

Dean turned his face to the side of her neck and nibbled on her earlobe. “You know you get everything you want.” he agreed, the two middle fingers of his right hand sliding into her core. His thumb rubbed her clit easily as her body bowed in his arms. Denise started to hum with excitement.

“Dean. Dean. Dean…I want you. Now.” Dean easily spun her in his arms so she faced him, adjusting so she was propped up against his thighs. He held her up and captured one breast in his mouth, sucking hard. Denise grabbed his hair in both hands. “I said I want you inside me.”

Dean smirked and lowered her onto his stiff rod. “Like this, Mistress?”

Denise’s head lolled back. “Oh, oh, oh!” Dean held her still, feeling her tremble and clench around him. He gritted his teeth and fought to keep his orgasm at bay. She slid her fingers into his hair again and whispered, “Try harder this time. Give it some effort, big boy.”

Dean wrapped her legs around his waist and growled, “Hold the hell on.” He maneuvered around, every motion rubbing his cock against her button. Denise sunk her teeth into the base of Dean’s neck and sucked as hard as she could. With every drawn she felt an answering pulse jump in his cock. Finally Dean was able to reach his feet and press her back against the wall. “Tell me that you mean this and it’s not going to make you worse. I couldn’t live with that.” Denise looked at Dean, eyes blazing, chest heaving, nostrils flaring, muscles literally jumping in his biceps, and realized that if there was the chance that he would endanger her, he would walk away in the state he was in. She clenched every internal muscle as tightly as she could and watched his eyes roll back in his head. His hips flexed involuntarily. “Denise…” he groaned.

“Now, Dean. We need this now.” With that freedom, Dean let go. Hard and fast. Explosive. Denise felt like he came through the top of her head.  He came, she came, and she was covered in a sudden drenching sweat. Dean kept her wrapped in his arms. Denise buried her face in his neck. “Dear Lord, it broke.”


	14. Chapter 14

Dean carried Denise downstairs after her fever finally broke. Now that she was no longer burning up, she finally felt like eating. He sat her on the counter while he fixed her soup. She smiled as he followed her directions to the letter. The poor man was absolutely clueless in the kitchen. He could use the can opener and turn on the stove, but she had to explain what condensed soup was and how to boil it. When Denise tried to move off the counter to help him stir, Dean pointed at the counter and glared. She moved back into place until he turned back to the stove and then she slid off the counter. Before Dean heard her, she had her chest pressed to his back and her hand around his wrist. “I told you to stay put.” he muttered, leaning his head over rest against hers.

“You are being so sweet. I don’t want to be all the way over there.” she murmured, kissing his shoulder. “Well, that and you keep slopping soup on the stove.” She gripped his wrist and slowed his stirring. “Easy does it.” Denise leaned into him and continued to guide his stirring as the soup began to boil. “Now we need to ladle it into the bowls. And the crackers are on the top shelf.”

Dean turned to Denise. “Now you need to go sit at the table. Go on.” He tapped her on the butt. Denise turned and looped her arms around his neck.

“That is going to cost you dearly, sir. Oh, so dearly. Remember that.” she said with a smile on her face.

“Just go sit at the table. Let me serve you your food.” he nearly begged. Denise smiled as she headed into the dining room and sat down. Dean followed with a large bowl of soup, a spoon, and a package of crackers.

“You aren’t eating?”

“I’m feeding you.” he said with a smile. “Aren’t I supposed to be serving you, mi’lady?” Denise burst out laughing. Once she dropped to a chuckle, he fed her the first spoonful. He continued making sure every spoonful got into her mouth, not losing a drop. 


	15. Chapter 15

The soup had definitely helped Denise regain some of her strength and energy. Dean had still carried her back up to the bedroom, wanting to keep her from pushing herself too hard too fast. Denise snagged a clean set of sheets from the closet in the hallway and showed Dean how to change the bed. He tossed the old set into the hall and curled against her side.

Denise let her fingers walk up Dean’s arm, rubbed his shoulder briefly, and continued on to rim his ear before gently caressing his cheek. “Dean? What do you think you are doing?”

“Resting with you. You’ve been sick and need your rest.”

Denise turned her head as she moved her hand just enough to get a firm grasp on his ear. “How short your memory is.” she chuckled. “I warned you when I was back to my normal self, there would be a price to pay.”

He gulped and tucked his head against her neck. “Um, really not sure that…” A quick tug on his ear brought his statement to an abrupt stop. He swallowed hard. “Yes, Mistress?”

“You said you were going to service me, and that is exactly what you are going to do.” A small smile started to cross Dean’s face. Denise held up her hand, showing the ring that she had palmed earlier. His face fell. “Problem wearing this?”

“Nn-no, Mistress.” he stuttered, taking the ring from her hand. He raised himself to kneel beside her, pulling his shirt over his head. She drug one nail down his chest. He looked down, watching the path she made to the waistband of his trackpants. He fisted his hands on his hips. She traced the skin at the edge of the waistband, staring up at his face.

“Lose the pants.” she whispered, dropping her hand to the bed at her side. Dean met her eyes and kept contact as he followed her order. He slid the ring into place on his cock, returning to kneel at her side with his hands fisted on his thighs. Denise sat up slowly. “You’ve had enough practice lately. Why don’t you strip me?” Dean’s hands had a slight tremble as he reached for the knot at her waist. After he pulled the first half Denise stopped him. “I didn’t say to use your hands. You have a lot to make up for, you know.” Dean nodded and clasped his hands behind his back before leaning over and grasping the belt of her robe with his teeth. Pulling the belt free, he dropped it on the floor and made his way towards her neck, breathing heavily. As he grasped the neck of her robe in his teeth, Denise took hold of his jaw and made him look her in the eye again. “You and me, Dean. Just you and me. No one else. No reason to be jealous of another man. No one else is here. Just you and me.” At his nod, she let him go. He managed to get her robe off her shoulders and onto the bed.

By that time his hands were planted on the mattress and he was drawing very deep breaths. Denise reached down to press her breasts together. “Do you want to touch?” she asked. He nodded. “But you said I deserve better. You said you KNOW that I deserve better. Is it true?” she asked, plucking at her nipples. He groaned out a no. “I can’t hear you. Do I deserve a better man than you, Dean?” she asked again, tweaking her nipples harder.

“You deserve the best. Only the best.” he groaned.

“And that is…”

“Me. For you it is me.” he whispered. Denise moved her hands away, opening her arms wide. Dean latched onto one breast hungrily and fondled the other with both hands. He alternated between the two before sliding down to her stomach, pressing shaky open-mouthed kisses in a trail south. He paused, laying his head on her stomach. Denise didn’t say anything, feeling his lips moving against her skin. When he picked his head up, Dean made eye contact. He slid backwards, moving down between her legs. “You are the total package. The classy teacher. The hot dom. The sensitive woman. The tender lover. Mine. You deserve the world on a platter. You deserve a true gentleman and someone of equal stature. But you’re stuck with me.” Dean had his shoulders between her thighs and began to lower his head, never breaking eye contact. “I swear, Denise, I’ll be worthy of you. It’s my mission in life.” His tongue flicked across her clit. Her body jerked. He repeated the motion, still keeping eye contact. “I have to make sure I am more than the stray dog you took in and couldn’t get rid of. I told you that first night if you fed me and pet me I’d be back.” He saw that she was about to speak so he bent his head and sucked on her clit, watching until she bit her bottom lip. When she reached for his head, he lifted with a small smirk. He drug his tongue along her inner thigh and gave a tiny nip. “I can grow, change, improve, learn. I can be someone that you are proud to be seen with around your teacher friends.”

Denise’s thighs clamped around his head **_hard_**. “ **I** never said that I wasn’t proud to be seen with you. **I** never wanted to sneak around. **You** are the one who keeps saying that you aren’t good enough. You seem to have a street dog complex.” Denise wiggled her hips. Dean groaned. “For the record, the happiest I have felt was walking into that arena with your arm planted firmly around my waist. For someone that doesn’t ‘do relationships’ that was a relationship move.”

Dean slid his hands up to her thighs and broke her hold easily. “We are in a relationship. An exclusive relationship.” He lifted her hips off the bed. “To be clear; we can play games in the bedroom because this shit is fun, but I want the whole relationship thing. Nothing is off the table. Taking care of each other when we are sick, public displays of affection, picking you up at school, keys to your house…I want it all.” With that, Dean buried his face in her warm, wet tunnel. He held her in place as he licked and thrust, teased and tormented. When Denise was hovering just on the edge, he lowered her back to the mattress and slammed his hard cock inside, watching her orgasm blow her apart underneath his trembling body.

When Denise raised her arms to hold Dean, she realized that he was shaking. Pulling back she remembered the ring that he was still wearing and her internal muscles clenched drawing a muffled curse from her lover. She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle push backwards. “Dean, I want it all, too. I want you to know that I lo…like you as you are. You don’t need to change a thing for me.” She gave him another shove, finally pulling free from her body. Denise reached for the ring.

Dean’s hand stopped her. “Say it.” Denise just met his look. “Say it. Please.”

“I feel the same way you do, Dean. The same reason you have been taking care of me. The reason you skipped out on a taping of SmackDown to chase after me. This is more than like, more than fucking around, more than friends-with-benefits.” Denise whispered. She tried to remove the ring again. He still didn’t let her.

Dean lowered his forehead to hers. “Say it.” Denise lifted her head, nipping at his earlobe. On a nearly silent whisper Dean got the three little words he had never heard before in his life. He knew she meant them. And they weren’t easy for her to say. He released her hand. She pulled the ring from his aching cock. He grabbed both of her hands and pinned them over her head. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he slowly slid inside her body again. This time, once their bodies were merged, he held still. His nose was buried in her hair and his mouth was even with her ear. He entwined their fingers and pressed kisses to her ear. “That’s why I can’t lose you. I have to have you.” He rocked into her slowly. “I need you. You are mine. In my blood. No one has ever…in my life. Denise. I…” His rocking was getting harder and harder as they were getting swept away. She was meeting his every motion with her own. His hands gripped hers harder. Dean finally reared back and slammed into her as his orgasm tore through his body. When he collapsed, he finally murmured the words he, too, wanted to say.


	16. Chapter 16

Dean had let the powers-that-be know that he needed to take another night off because of Denise’s illness. He was permitted to miss the house show, with the understanding that this would cost him an appearance the following week in make-up time. He agreed. It was worth it to make sure that Denise was really and truly over this fever. The couple lounged around the house, eating and napping together. It was a relaxing and bonding day.

Dean kept an eye on Denise, making sure that she wasn’t over exerting herself and she was recuperating well. After dinner, he seemed confident that she was almost back to her normal self. Without saying anything to her, he went through the house and locked all the doors. He turned off the lights and held out his hand to her. Denise took it and allowed him to take her up the steps. Once outside the bedroom, he stopped and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Then he whispered, “I put something in the bathroom for you to put on.” She kissed him again and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Hanging on the back of the door was her black, sheer lace nightie and floor-length robe set. She as she removed them from the hanger, a note fell to the floor.

Mistress -   
I confess that I deserve to be punished.  
I was jealous over another man.   
I ignored your needs for three days.   
I flirted with another woman.  
I called your friend a name.  
I dared to lay my hand on you.  
I deserve to be punished.  
I place my…fate…in your hands.

Denise shook her head. She recalled his earlier words “we can play games in the bedroom because this shit is fun” and knew exactly what he wanted. She looked in the mirror at her still pasty complexion and thought _No self-respecting dominatrix would look like this. I need to fix this._ She pulled open her make-up drawer and set to work. Before long she was satisfied. She found the high-heeled ‘fuck-me’ shoes that Dean had placed on the counter and slid them on her feet. _Show time._

She leaned against the wall and observed the scene. Dean had managed to attach himself to all four posts of the bed. Each ankle was strapped to a corner of the footboard. His feet were shoulder-width apart. His arms were attached to the upper corners. There was very little give in the bindings that he used. Dean was truly spread-eagle. From her vantage point, Denise could see leather straps running across his ass. Coming closer, she found that Dean had impaled himself with a butt-plug and used the cock ring. The leather straps held both in place. He also had a gag in his mouth. He was facing the bed, refusing to look at her. Denise slid her hand down to cup Dean’s cock. She whispered in his ear. “You set this up for me?” He nodded. “You want me to play?” He nodded again. She stroked his cock. “You want me to pet you, my stray dog?” Dean nodded. Denise blew in his ear before taking a tiny nibble. “I thought you said you weren’t worthy?” She removed her hand and walked around the room before finding the tasseled crop she knew wouldn’t hurt him. She also knew it wouldn’t leave any marks on his skin that would be a problem in the ring over the weekend. “It was nice of you to list your transgressions. Let’s see, jealous over Cesaro. That’s what started this whole mess.” Denise swung the crop and made contact with the top of Dean’s thighs. “Then you beat him up in the ring. Our personal life is **_never_** to enter the ring.” She landed two more swats on his thighs, with the tip of the tasseled crop making contact with his ball sack. Dean groaned on the last one. Denise dropped the crop on the mattress and grasped the end of the plug. “According to my calculations and your list, this is where you ignored me and left me alone for three days. The ultimate torture.” Denise wiggled the plug, making Dean moan. “Is this hitting something, dear? Arousing you? And you left me cold for so long. Poor baby.” Denise let go of the plug and grabbed a different toy. One that Dean hadn’t picked out. She climbed onto the bed and propped up the pillows. “Where were we? Oh, yes. After ignoring me and making me think **_I_** had done something wrong, you flirted with the one woman that would cause me the most pain. You were afraid that I would leave you and you wanted to cause something to go wrong. Dean, Dean, Dean. I really hope you can handle your punishment. Because this one is a doozie.” Denise lay in the middle of the bed as she pulled the robe and gown up past her waist, spreading her knees far apart. With Dean mere feet away, she turned the vibrator on and slid it into her moist, wet channel. Denise stared Dean in the face as she thrust the vibrator in and out of her pussy, panting as breathing became a challenge. As she watched his nostrils flare and chest heave, Denise threw back her head and screamed his name. When she pulled the vibrator out, she held it close to his nose. “That’s right. You like my scent. My taste. What would you do for a taste? Would you hunt for me? Find me? You said your dick belongs to me and only me. Does that mean if I leave this right here and go hide you would be able to find me? Track me like a bloodhound with just your dick?” Denise was on her knees and in his face. Dean tried to rub his nose against her. Denise removed the gag and held the vibrator close by. Dean looked at her as his tongue reached out to touch parts of the gadget. “You really need a taste that badly?” He nodded. She tossed the toy away. “You ordered me to sit on a counter. You tapped me on the ass. You don’t get to make requests.” Denise slid off the bed, grabbed the crop, and gave Dean’s ass four more solid whacks. Then she tossed the crop off to the side and got back on the bed in front of him. “You have handled your punishment well. We will speak of your transgressions no further.” She squeezed his cheeks and placed a harsh kiss on his mouth. Dean returned it with equal fervor. Pulling back, Denise said, “There is one lesson left. You seem to think that you can track me with your dick. Best of luck.” She loosened one of the cuffs but didn’t fully remove it and then she left the room.

Dean knew she wanted him in the state he was in. She had enjoyed every second of that bedroom play, just like he had. But the disappearing act had him beyond frustrated! He got all four cuffs off, removed the plug carefully, and took the ring off. Now naked as the day he was born and a full minute behind Denise, he left the room in search of her. At the top of the stairs he found her robe, dropped on the floor. At the bottom of the stairs, hanging on the banister, he found her shoes. He stalked through the house as silently as he could, but he couldn’t make out anything else out of place. As he neared the stairs on another circuit around the downstairs, her lingerie gown wrapped around his neck. “You suck at hide-and-seek” she whispered. He grabbed her under the naked ass and pulled her flush against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and bound their hands together with the nightie. Dean walked over to the stairs, pressing her back against the railing and grabbing the spindles above her head. Denise tightened her legs. Dean began to rock. As both of their bodies moved, he slid inside and Denise threw back her head as she screamed. Dean clutched the staircase and thrust uncontrollably until they both landed in a heap.

“Damn. I love you, woman.” Dean said as he picked Denise up off the floor and carried her back up the stairs. “You really do do it all for me.”

“I love you too, babe.” Denise said with a smile as she cuddled into his chest.


	17. Chapter 17

Dean reluctantly packed his bags Saturday morning, unable to delay his return to work. It was plainly obvious to Denise that he was not happy about leaving but she knew that she was healthy enough to be left alone. Watching him stuff things haphazardly into his duffle and suitcase, she snorted and swatted his hands. “Just go away.” she snorted, dumping everything back out onto her bed and starting to refold it all. Dean’s eyes grew round. “Babe, you can’t fold or pack worth a damn. How have you done this for so long? Just take a load off, I’ll get it for you.” She ran her fingers through his hair and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Dean groaned as he walked away. Denise made quick work of the repacking. She took the time to write a couple of notes and hide them in the suitcase as well. Once they were finished, went in search of Dean. She found him sitting in the living room holding his head in his hands. “What’s wrong?”

“This is where things have gone wrong every time. I go on the road and we crumble. We are fine here…” he mumbled.

Denise knelt on the sofa beside him, pulling his head to her chest. She kissed the crown of his head. “Do you doubt us? Do you think I am going to stray? Are you?” He kept taking his head ‘no’. “Neither do I. Am I nervous? Yes. Hell yes. But that means we have to use our phones to sooth our nerves.”

Dean wrapped his arms around her waist. “I am going to call you so often. You have to know…” he choked up. “I want you to be able to…I am going to earn your trust.”

“Dean, hon, you have to focus on the stuff you do on the road. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

He squeezed her tight and buried his face in her chest. “I’m not going to get hurt. I’d have to answer to you.” Denise gave him a little pop on the back of his head. He looked up at her with a small, sad smile. “Seriously, I won’t get hurt. I have to be whole when I get back here to you. I wish I could stay…Or you could go. But I know that’s not happening. ” Denise leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his lips. His hands slid up to clutch the back of her head bordering on desperation. She let him take control as Dean pulled her into his lap and raised her shirt, eventually peeling it over her head. He pressed both of her breasts together and licked between them, his hands trembling. She used her fingernails to lightly scratch the top of his head as she pressed kisses along his hairline. Dean pushed her up and pulled her pants off. Then he quickly stood and yanked off his clothes. He drew her back down onto his lap and slid inside. Denise returned to scratching the top of his head as Dean buried his head in her neck and sat still, buried in her wet heat. She held him and clenched him, letting him know he was safe. They were safe. Dean began to gently rock their bodies. Denise let him control the pace. His arms crossed her back, holding her shoulders as his hips flexed. Groans began to softly escape onto her skin. Denise felt his teeth graze her collar bone as he began to gently suck. She knew he was leaving his mark and didn’t mind at all. Her head dropped back as his thrusting grew harder. She felt her orgasm approaching and held on. She let his name slip from her lips on a sigh. He moaned her name in response and pounded his release as she collapsed into hers.

* * *

 

Roman called Denise later that day. “I heard from Dean. He said he’s on his way.”

“He left a few hours ago.” Denise replied.

“He sounds like crap.” Roman cut to the chase.

Denise sighed. “I know. He has to get back to work, though. There’s no reason for him to stay here.”

“Agreed.” Roman said quickly. “But you could come with him. He needs you. He’s been with you while you’ve been sick. He was so worried. I don’t think you know how much.”

Denise got very defensive. “Don’t presume to know squat about me, Roman. I know how worried he was. I know he camped out on my steps waiting for me to show up and then camped out in the school office. I know how he took care of me, what he did and how he called you and the nurse. I get that. We’ve talked and worked through a lot. I also know how he is worried about going back on the road. Understand that I am not ready to face that again. I’ll get there but not right now. And I have a job, a good job, which I am not going to screw up by running off right now.”

“Whoa!” Roman tried to diffuse the escalating conversation. “I’m not trying to accuse you of anything or start anything with you. I called because I talked to my bud who sounds like shit. Now I talk to you and realize that you aren’t handling this much better.” He seemed to be at a loss as to how to handle the quagmire he unwittingly stepped into.

Denise sighed. “Look, Roman. I’m sorry I snapped at you. You’re right. I hate being apart. I hate that he hates being apart. He was so unsure…” She stopped, unwilling to share Dean’s personal confessions even though Roman was a close friend. On a deep breath, she said, “The best I can say is that I hid a couple of notes in his luggage. He’ll find one as soon as he unpacks. That should help. If you see that he is wavering, unsure, needs a boost, whatever…call. I’ll give him what he needs.”

“What about you?” Roman asked.

“I’ll be okay.” she said in a small voice that she tried to make sound strong. “I’ve had him for how many days? We’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. Just…take care of him.” She hung up the phone before Roman could say anything in response.

* * *

 

Dean arrived at the arena for the house show in a sour mood. He wanted to be with Denise. Entering the backstage area, Renee met him with a happy smile and a warm hand on his chest. She was surprised when he growled, “Leave me alone. I need to see Triple H or Steph.” He stomped off without looking back. She tried to run to keep up but couldn’t.

Roman saw Dean coming, hearing his unhappy footsteps and people rushing to clear a path for him. “In here, dude.” He held the door open. Dean slung his luggage into his designated place and dropped onto a chair, hanging his head. “It’ll be okay.” Roman patted his shoulder.

“Renee met me as soon as I got here. If Denise found out or saw…This shit has got to stop!” Dean groaned. “I can’t lose her, Roman. I can’t!”

“Open your bag.”

“What?”

“Just do it, dude.”

Confused, Dean opened the duffle bag that sat on top of his suitcase. On top of his gear sat a folded note. Opening it, he read:

Lover,  
You are missed and thought of.  
Take care of yourself.  
I am watching you and miss you.  
Come home soon!  
D-

A small smile crossed his face. “Better now?” Roman asked.

“How did you know?” Dean asked, tucking the note into the front pocket of his suitcase.

“I called Denise while you were on your way here. Seth and I are your friends and we worry about you. She is special to you so we try to keep an eye on her, too. That’s what friends do.” Dean nodded.

“’Know that if it was anyone else I’d kick his ass?” Dean muttered, heading for the door.

“Yep. And you know that I am head over heels for my woman and my little girl. Likewise Seth and his woman. You don’t have any competition for Denise. Just don’t fuck this up again.”

Dean paused with his hand on the knob. “How did she sound?”

Roman looked him in the eye. “She’s hanging in there. She’s feisty enough to handle this lifestyle.”

Dean nodded. “Thanks, man. Now, to get rid of Renee.” 


	18. Chapter 18

Roman, Seth and Cesaro were enjoying a quiet conversation with Dean in catering. He seemed to have settled down, not raging and not depressed. Roman was pleased that he seemed to be more even-keeled than he had been when he arrived. He was eating and smiling, talking about working out with them in the morning. _Just like old times, just like old times._

“What do you think you are doing, refusing to do interviews with me?” Renee was leaning across Dean’s shoulders with her hair hanging off to the side. From their view-point, Roman and Seth could see her fluttering her eyelashes and running her hands along his shoulders and chest.

Dean shot out of his chair, knocking it backwards. Renee jumped out of the way so she didn’t get struck as he darted to the side. “I **_told_** you I didn’t want you near me. Don’t touch me. Ever. Go away, Renee. Damn.” Dean grabbed what was left of his food and threw it away as he almost ran from the room.

“I’d say that he finds your touch revolting.” Seth smirked.

“Did he mention that he has a girlfriend?” Roman asked. “They are serious. You almost screwed them up last week. He’s not willing to take that risk again. Kinda like what I told you. You are two-bit trash and I’m not going to have my woman think twice about you. She is worth so much more. I respect her so I don’t want to breathe your air.” Roman grabbed his food and went off to find his friend.

“I have to agree with both of them. Maybe I need to pay a visit to Triple H and Steph…” Seth said as he got up. “I think I will.”

“Might as well stand with my friends.” Cesaro followed Seth.

Renee looked around the room, wondering what the people watching the exchange were thinking.

Roman found Dean in the locker room, pacing. “Denise is going to be pissed. She hates Renee and that bitch was hanging on me. I’m fucked. Why didn’t I just stay with her?”

Roman sat his food on the table and grabbed Dean on one of his passes. “Calm down. You haven’t done anything wrong. When she came after you, you left the room. Denise cannot be mad. You have tried to stay away and not do interviews with her. I think Denise will respect that. Talk to her. She’s a reasonable woman.”

“You don’t know how bad I fucked up last week, man.” Dean argued.

“What I do know is that you’ve spent the better part of this week taking care of her and repairing your relationship. You are acting like it is still completely beyond fucked. There has to be some level of trust or you two are not going to last. And you have got to **calm down**.” Roman held him by his shoulders.

“Maybe I should call.” Dean wondered.

“Not when you are like this. You will freak her the hell out.” Roman shook his head. “Wait. Calm down. Do your push-ups.” He sat down and began to eat again. Seth and Cesaro came into the room with small smirks. “What now?”

Cesaro dropped down beside Roman. “We went to see Triple H.”

“We’ve also told him that we don’t want to do interviews with Renee. She flirts too much. I told him that it is making things uncomfortable at home.” Seth said.

“And I told him that she makes me uncomfortable.” Cesaro said. “She needs to tone down the flirting and get back to interviewing.”

Dean stopped his rapid push-ups and sat on the floor. Looking at his friends, he said, “Thanks guys.”

“Hey, have you checked the side pockets of your duffel?” Roman asked Dean. Dean shot him a questioning look and began searching through his pockets. His face lit up when he pulled out a folded piece of paper.

“Care to share?” Seth asked.

“Nope.” Dean muttered, heading into the bathroom and locking the door. His privacy assured, He unfolded the note.

J-  
I hide.  
You seek.  
I ride.  
We peak.  
By your side  
I don’t feel weak.  
Do you really need a guide  
to find your way back this week?  
D-

“FUCK!” The three men in the locker-room heard the curse ring out.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Cesaro asked.

* * *

 

Denise stared at her bed. To climb in that bed meant she would smell Dean, to feel the memory of his arms around her. She shook her head. Damn, she missed him. A shower would reinvigorate her! She headed for the bathroom, stripping and dropping her clothes in the hamper. She adjusted the water temperature. Stepping into the warm spray, she was suddenly overwhelmed by memories. Hands caressing her body, pressing against her back, working up a lather in her hair…Denise slapped the knobs, turning the water off and stomping out of the cubical. She pulled on yoga pants and a WWE Dean Ambrose t-shirt before heading downstairs. Her hand gripped the stair railing as her foot faltered on the step. Even her stair railing brought back memories of the man! Dammit! Denise headed for her living room sofa and curled up in a ball. _Some dominatrix you are. Pining away after your sub instead of doing something about it. Stupid woman._ Denise didn’t move all night. 

* * *

 

Sunday night at the arena the guys got their food from catering and took it back to the locker room to eat. As they were kicking back and relaxing, Triple H came in to join them. “Guys, I just want you to know that we’ve heard your concerns and we have discussed them with Renee. The problem is we can’t have some of our top stars refusing to work with her. If that happens then no one will. It’s bad business. She is going to behave in a more professional manner.”

“What are the consequences when she doesn’t?” Roman asked, leaning forward. “Because I have to tell you, wrecking my home life is a consequence you cannot have added into this equation. And that bitch doesn’t care.”

“Are you sure you guys aren’t exaggerating just a little bit?” Triple H asked skeptically.

Dean jumped up and began pacing. “I spent last week with Denise, who ended up so sick because she left me thanks to Renee. She caught some raging fucking fever…” He stopped to punch a locker before turning to Triple H. “I need Denise.” He grabbed his phone and left the room.

Triple H looked at the other men. Seth spoke up. “Denise has had some sort of effect on him, and it has been really good. He doesn’t think he’s worthy of her and they are working through that. Renee saw an opportunity and pounced. Denise was here with Dean and saw. She left and, best as we can tell, caught a really nasty bug on her way home. That’s when Dean missed SmackDown. He caught up with her when she was collapsing in her school parking lot. He took care of her all of last week. Understand – Dean Ambrose was the sole caretaker for an unconscious sick woman. He kept her alive. Do you understand, H? He feels like he is fighting for Denise, against Renee and now against you. You are setting him up to lose her because Renee is going to fight dirty. She did months ago when she wanted Roman. She’s tried with me. She just creeps out Cesaro. Talk to the other men, individually. See how they feel. If she is an infection in the back, maybe we aren’t the problem.”

Triple H nodded. “I hear you. For now, I need you to do what I asked. I will also do what you asked and see what some of the other guys feel. Guys that have significant others or have had significant others recently. For the next couple of days, be professional and be role models. For me. I realize now exactly what I am asking and I won’t forget it.” He sighed heavily as he stood up. “Steph and I will talk.” he promised before he left.

“Dean’s probably talking to Denise.” Roman said.

Seth agreed. “But, we don’t know. So, you two go look for him and I’m going to try and get a hold of her. Let’s see what we can do.”

“I want to call my lady, too.” Roman grumbled.

“We will, we will. But I don’t think either of us is going to crumble in the near future. Do you?”

Roman found Dean in the gym wearing out a punching bag. As Roman neared, so did Renee. “I understand we will be working together after all.” she said with a smirk and a sway.

“Keep walking, bitch.” Roman snarled. Dean hit the bag harder. “I’ve got your back, man.”

“I’m allowed to work out, too.” she purred.

“I’m done.” Dean held up his hands. “Let’s go.” Roman pointed to Dean’s phone. He grabbed it and his bottle of water before heading out of the door. “This is crazy.”

“We had a long talk with H. He knows what’s up. Try to hang in for a couple of days. That’s all…Raw and SmackDown.”

“I can do that.”

In the meantime, Seth called Denise. He let her know what was going on with Renee and the ‘favor’ that Triple H had requested. “Here’s the thing, Dean’s not taking it so well. We are barely keeping him together. I can tell you aren’t happy about the situation, either. If we get you a flight in, would you be willing to come?”

* * *

 

Most Superstars were inside the arena preparing for Monday night Raw. Seth and Roman were casually talking with Dean in the men’s locker-room. Cesaro was on his way and in contact with Seth. Fans were milling around outside.

Dean was called to film an interview that would be played during Raw. He headed to his spot. With a heavy exhale and an eye roll, he looked at Renee. “Let’s get this over with.” She smiled brightly at him and then looked to the camera. She began the interview with her question, turned to face him and batted her eyelashes up at him. The camera focused in on his face, catching the typical Dean Ambrose expressions. Suddenly, Dean broke character. “What the fuck, Renee?!” When he jumped away from her, it was blatantly obvious that her hand had been on his ass. “How many times do I have to say…”

“To stay the hell away from my man!” Dean’s head spun and his eyes popped as they landed on Denise. She was headed straight for the interview set, looking oh so hot! Black heels, black stockings, leopard-print straight skirt, black cowl neck top, and dramatically shadowed eyes. His woman was coming for him, and he knew it. Dean stepped forward, about to reach for her but then he thought better of it and stepped out of her way. Denise stormed past Dean and wrenched the microphone from Renee’s hand and dropped it into Dean’s. “Keep your damn paws off him, you cheap-ass bitch!” Renee lunged for Denise, who side-stepped neatly and watched her fall to the floor.

“What in the hell is going on here?” Triple H thundered.

“Well, sir. We warned you.” Seth said from the side. “She wasn’t going to stop.”

“Roll the tape.”Cesaro suggested.

Renee screeched. The tape was damning. Triple H had no choice but to fire her on the spot.

“Here’s an idea.” Cesaro said. “You need someone to do interviews backstage. We want someone who won’t be such a…flirty bitch. Denise is attractive and Dean will make sure she’s not flirting with any of us. I see this as a win-win.”

Seth and Roman looked at the Swiss superstar in confusion. He raised an eyebrow and glared. “We agree! Denise would be perfect. It would also be great for Dean. He’s been so much calmer since they’ve been together.”

“Am I missing something?” Dean whispered in her ear.

“Later.” she whispered back.

“Trial run tonight.” Triple H agreed. “We are in a jam. Start with interviewing Dean Ambrose.” He waved his hand and walked off camera.

“We’re on.” Dean said with a smirk. He fed her the question and nodded to the camera man.    



	19. Chapter 19

As Denise crossed the threshold of the catering, Dean Ambrose sprung up from the table where he had been tapping a staccato beat impatiently and swung her in a wide circle. “This is so fucking awesome!” he muttered, burying his face in her neck with a huge smile.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she laughed. “I missed you, too.”

Seth walked passed the hugging couple. “She knocked our interview out of the park. I think Triple H was impressed.”

“I was.” Roman said as he headed for the buffet.

Dean’s voice was muffled against her skin. “It would be too damn wonderful to have you here all the time.” He squeezed her harder before lowering her feet to the floor. “But that’s a dream.” he said almost sadly.

Denise ran her fingers through his hair tenderly. “Nope. Seth called me and talked some sense into me. We were both miserable, so I decided to come see you. When I took off today and tomorrow, the Board of Ed frowned upon that decision. Seems I’ve been taking too much time off in the last few weeks, so I was given an ultimatum.”

Dean looked at her with unbelieving amazement. “You lost…You risked…”

Denise gently kissed Dean. “You are worth it. I want to be with **you**. And if some stuffed shirt decides that I have to give up teaching because being on the road affects my attendance, I’m okay with that. The trade-off is worth it.” She leaned her forehead against his and whispered quietly so only Dean could hear her. “You asked why someone as smart and classy as me, a teacher, would want to be with you. You said you barely finished school and that your past wasn’t anything to be proud of. You said we were so very different. What I see are two people who are very alike. We want each other; we need each other. I also see you in your element here. I can do interviews and there are probably other things that I can expand into, things you can help me with.”

Dean clutched her head and planted a possessively shaky kiss for all to see. The Diva’s in the room ‘awed’ and the fellas made retching noises. Dean flipped the finger over his shoulder and pulled Denise into the hall. “I can’t believe you would walk away from teaching for me.” he murmured against her forehead. “But I do love you for it.”

Triple H and Stephanie saw the couple and beckoned them into the office. “We need to apologize for the issues that Renee Young has caused the two of you. We have recently become aware of the extent her behavior has had on your relationship, and your health, Denise. We are very glad that you have given the WWE another chance and come back on the road.” Triple H began.

Stephanie continued, “We make it a practice not to comment on personal relationships of employees, especially given our personal history. Dean, I have to say seeing you with Denise you are so much happier that you have been in a long time. Whatever the two of you are doing, keep it up.” Dean looked at Denise and wiggled his eyebrows. She responded by raising one eyebrow, a’la the Rock. Stephanie and HHH laughed at the non-verbal exchange.

“We also wanted to talk to Denise about what we saw tonight. To be able to step in front of the camera and conduct the interviews that you did, with the superstars that you did, was impressive. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Randy Orton are not easy men to deal with. You were calm and collected. You showed that you knew what you were doing. Yes, there was a script but when one of them threw you a curve you handled it and fed back to them. You didn’t falter. They were impressed and so were we. As has been said tonight, you looked good on camera and you did it without flirting. We know that you have a job teaching, but we would like you to consider working with the WWE.” Triple H leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on his belly.

Denise mimicked his posture. “Well, sir, I have to say that is a mighty fine offer and I am truly honored. I love teaching and I love my students. I will consider your offer. You know, I met Dean thanks to your Be a Star program? Maybe we can negotiate something for the district that I would be leaving if I take a job with the WWE.” Denise heard Dean choke back on his amazement.

HHH nodded thoughtfully. Stephanie spoke. “How about we meet for brunch tomorrow, before everyone checks out of the hotel and heads off for their workouts?” Denise and Dean stood up and shook the other couple’s hands, agreeing to that plan.

Once in the hall, Dean slung his arm around Denise’s shoulder. “You are so good! Damn, woman!” He kissed her ear.

“I heard that snort.” Denise murmured. “Just wait until we get in the hotel room.”

Dean nearly whimpered. “I can’t wait.”


	20. Chapter 20

Denise took in the Raw experience from backstage. Dean stayed by her side, explaining the storylines that were ongoing and what he knew of them. Seth hung around as well, finding Denise to be a fun person to talk to. Midway through the show, Stephanie’s voice was heard echoing down the hall. Denise was needed for an impromptu interview, pronto. She hot-footed it to the interview area. Stephanie was waiting, looking a little... _Did Stephanie look frazzled? Or was that a stressed look?_ “The Undertaker has graced us with his presence. We have agreed to give him some time in a backstage interview. Try to keep him under control, please.” Stephanie began to rock on her heels. Denise nodded quietly.

“Do you have any idea what he might be talking about?” she asked.

“No. He has his own agenda.” Stephanie growled.

“I don’t answer to you, Princess. Vince owns this company and he signed my contract.” Denise turned to see the veteran superstar towering over them, a fierce glower on his face. She picked up her microphone and took her place in front of the camera.

“Do you have a certain side you prefer?”

“I prefer to be in the ring, receiving the respect that I am due.” he snarled.

“And I am also due the same respect, yet you are not giving it to me. Not making a great first impression.” Denise said in a tone that was soft but firm. Ignoring the shocked looks on the faces of Stephanie and the Undertaker, she turned to the camera man. “Is this where you want me? I’m not picking up to much glare, am I?” The camera man was not used to having a conversation with Renee and stuttered his response, as did the sound technician. Denise readjusted herself and gripped the microphone as someone ran in to countdown to the live interview. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are honored to have with us a legendary superstar who is making a surprise appearance on Raw tonight. Some people claim he is the Phenom. Others say he rules the yard. Who doesn’t fear a…Dead…Man…Walking.” Denise turned and faced the Undertaker. He stepped forward and rolled his eyes back into his head. Denise bit the inside of her cheek not facing the camera, making sure she didn’t laugh. When his eyes rolled forward, she spoke again. “I have it on good authority that you have some wisdom that you would like to impart to some wrestlers backstage. Care to share?” She extended the microphone in his direction. As the Undertaker started to speak, Denise saw Stephanie out of the corner of her eye. She had her hand covering her mouth and had pulled out her phone, discretely texting behind the camera man’s back. When the Undertaker finished his statement Denise posed a follow-up question. “You have ruled the yard, the squared circle for nearly two decades. Are you going to come back for another WrestleMania? What can the WWE Universe expect from you?”

“How about I put it this way, if you stick around for more than a month, I’ll come back and answer that question, Honey.” He stepped closer and glared down at her as he answered her.

Denise stared straight up at him. “I will see you back here in four weeks, Mr. Undertaker. The WWE Universe looks forward to hearing your answer.” The camera cut as the arena erupted into cheers.

As soon as the camera man said they were clear, the Undertaker took a step back. “I’ll give you one thing, honey, you do have balls.”

“Actually, I don’t. But thanks for the compliment anyway.” Denise said flippantly. “I taught elementary school for 15 years, so I have plenty of experience with rowdy children that need a firm hand.

“Taught, as in no longer teaching?” Stephanie jumped in. Denise looked at her quickly. “As in, if we go over a contract with you, you can begin traveling with the WWE immediately?”

“I wanted to talk to…”

“Talk to who? Ambrose? He’ll be all for it. He’d be a fool not to.” the Undertaker said. Denise looked at him, completely baffled. “I may not be around all the time, but I still know what’s going on. And I’m not _that_ old. He’ll be thrilled. Sign the contract.”

“We said we’d meet tomorrow morning. We can talk then.” Denise said, heading off to find Dean.

* * *

 

Dean could tell Denise had a lot on her mind because she was quiet the rest of the night. When they reached the hotel, he checked them both in and she followed him up to the room. He went to get them a bite to eat while she showered and changed into something more comfortable than the clothes than she had on. She picked at her food but did manage to get half of it down and Dean finished the rest. They brushed their teeth in the bathroom side-by-side and then crawled into bed.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on in that swirling mind of yours?” he whispered as he pulled her into his warm embrace.

“Stephanie knows that I am not teaching any more. She’s offered me full-time on the road with the WWE starting right now. When we meet with them in the morning, they will have a contract. At least, she said they would. That makes me a little nervous. I mean us…we are new…a new job…lots of travel…high profile…It’s all high stress. I don’t want us to combust under that stress.” Denise was tracing patterns on Dean’s bare chest with her fingernails. “I missed you while we were apart and I want to be with you. But I don’t want to ruin a good thing, either.”

“I get that.” He said slowly. “We are still looking for our normal. We have to find that. Then we will be okay.” They were both quiet for a few minutes. Then Dean spoke again. “I didn’t know the Undertaker was supposed to visit Raw tonight.” Denise didn’t say anything. “Or that wasn’t a planned visit. That was an ambush interview, wasn’t it?”

“Not exactly.” she denied. “Stephanie gave me a very brief heads-up, along with the knowledge that he was in rare form. I knew I would have to be careful how I handled him or get eaten alive. He’ll either respect me or despise me, I know that.”

Dean pulled back and looked at Denise in amazement. “You couldn’t tell? The Undertaker respects you. That’s hard to do for a rookie. With his seal of approval, Vince will love you, your contract is solid.” Denise tucked her head into Dean’s neck. “I definitely approve. And I want written into our contracts that we have to stay on the same shows and do the same tours. We don’t have to be together 24/7, but I don’t want the company to send one of us on a European Tour and the other on a South American Tour for two weeks. We need these things in writing now.”

Denise rubbed Dean’s shoulder. “That’s why I want you there. You know about that kind of stuff, and I need you to make sure that is included in the contract. You’ll take care of us. I know you will.” A big grin grew on Dean’s face. Denise captured that grin with a kiss. “Now, take care of us by making love to me. I have missed you so much.”

“What if I wanted…”

“I said, make love to me.” Denise repeated.

“Yes, ma’am.” Dean agreed as he shifted to hover over her.

Denise slid her hands to his hips and pushed his underwear down. “Tonight we just need to be. Just be.” Dean’s hands roamed, searched, and caressed. He made quick work of the few clothes she had on, pressing gentle kisses to the flesh he uncovered. Then he pinned her hips to the bed with one hand as he slid inside her. Keeping her still, he slowly rocked back and forth, back and forth, until he felt her begin to wind up inside. Once she began to tremble and pant, he let go and caressed her face with both hands as he propped himself up on his elbows. Denise began to keen and wail, wrapping both her legs around his waist. She began to rock in a rhythm as old as time; as old as men and women have been together. Dean couldn’t hold back any longer. Raring back on his knees, he grasped her thighs and held her open. Denise grasped his wrists and simply held on. Dean pounded into her as hard as he could. Denise screamed his name. Dean growled hers. Then…neither one moved in the silence of the room. 


	21. Chapter 21

Dean and Denise’s alarms blared through the hotel room simultaneously. The couple smacked their phones in unison and groaned synchronically. Dean threw an arm across Denise’s chest and pulled her close, tucking her almost underneath his oven-like body. She rubbed her nose, looking quite feline. Dean chuckled and purred under his breath. “What the hell was that?” Denise mumbled.

“You just look so cute.”

Denise gave him a little shove and tried to get up. Dean tried to keep her pinned but she began flailing about and screeching. He had to bite back more laughter because he thought her screeching was even more reminiscent of a cat. Realizing that Denise would **not** find this funny, he let her up and folded his arms behind his head.

He watched her race around, her nerves obviously controlling her behavior. He finally leapt from the bed and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to be fine. Breathe. Confidence. You have this. Deep, calm breaths.” He dropped a kiss on the side of her neck.

Denise relaxed into his body. “This is huge. Of course I am nervous. If I wasn’t nervous…Just let me…”

“This is my life. I promise you that you’ll be fine.” Dean assured her. He grabbed her suitcase and pulled out some clothes. “Wear these to lunch. We can talk about what they expect for interviews so you know what to wear tonight. Maybe some of your old wardrobe will work with your new career path.” he offered lightly.

* * *

 

Six hours later, Dean and Denise were relaxing in catering together when Seth and Roman plopped down across from them. “Soooo?” Roman drew out. 

“Sooo what?” Dean asked. 

“Does Denise have a contract, numb nuts?” Roman thumped the table impatiently. 

“What’s wrong with Dean’s nuts?” Nikki asked, sitting at the table next to them. 

“Nothing at all.” Denise said with a smile. 

“He won’t tell us whether or not Denise signed a contract today.” Seth explained. 

“Sooo, does Denise have a contract with WWE or not, Numb Nuts?” Nattie asked as she sat down across from Nikki. 

“Dammit, there isn’t a damn thing wrong with **my** nuts, but Roman will have major issues with **his** if this keeps up!” Dean threatened without a smile on his face. 

“Yes, I signed a contract. Now stop harassing Dean.” Denise said with a smile. 

“Party time!” Nikki cheered. “We are kidnapping her for a few hours, Dean. You can live without her for that long, can’t you?” 

“We’ll take him out for a guys’ night.” Seth said with a smile.

* * *

 

SmackDown taping was over and everyone was ready to blow off some steam. Dean and Denise gave each other a kiss and headed off with their friends, knowing that they would meet up together later.

Nikki let the ladies know that they were going to a club where she had already reserved the VIP section. Denise didn’t know what to expect and was surprised that she enjoyed herself. They kicked back, drank, talked, and had space to dance near their table where fans couldn’t get near them. It was a lot of fun. She was letting her hair down and going with the flow when the first text arrived around 1:00, “I miss you so much.” She replied that she missed him and went back to her conversation with Nikki. Half an hour later, Dean sent another message that he wanted to leave but the rest of the guys wanted to stay. Denise was listening to Nattie talk about her troubles with TJ, so she didn’t get to see that one right away. It was the message that arrived at 1:45 that caused quite the ruckus.

Seth knew that Dean always loved a good time. It had been a long time since the guys had been out for just a guys’ night, so Seth and Randy made a few calls. As they walked in, Dean stuck his hands in his pockets, feeling uncomfortable for the first time in his life as he walked into a strip club. He couldn’t leave and look ridiculous in front of his friends, so he ordered a drink and kept his eyes down. _Denise is going to be so pissed._ He sent her a couple of texts so she would know he was thinking of her but only got one in response. Dean pulled his phone out and began typing another text when the unthinkable happened. He typed the message “Thinking of you” with his phone in his lap. He didn’t see Seth talking to one of the girls, who headed over and promptly gyrated onto his lap for a lap dance and, in the process hit his phone and not only hit the photo button but also the send message button. As soon as the girl landed in his lap, Dean jumped up and said, “No thank you! My woman would NOT approve!” He threw a few dollars on the table and headed for the door, unaware of the message that had been sent.

It was at 1:45 that Denise heard her phone alert her to a second message from Dean and she interrupted Nattie’s tearful tale of woe. “This is Dean’s second message. I really need to check it. Sorry, Nattie.” Nattie waved at her and said she understood, only to jump to Denise’s side when she gasped and sank back into the seat, pressing her hand over her mouth.

“What in the hell?!” Nattie muttered.

Nikki looked over her shoulder. “Thinking of you…but what is that a picture of?”

Rosa peeked and said cheerily, “That’s a pussy!”

Nattie and Nikki looked at the crestfallen Denise. “Are you okay?” Nattie sat down beside her as Nikki walked away, pulling out her phone.

“I need to leave.”

“To go where? You can’t run again.” Nattie said.

“I know.” Denise dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t feel like celebrating right now. But I don’t want to see him, either.”

Nikki returned looking very pissed. “So the guys went to a strip club tonight. And Dean just left. They don’t know where he went.”

Denise signaled the waitress. “I need a bottle of Petron. If you can’t bring the bottle, pour the damn thing into the biggest glasses you got. I think we need it.”

“You can’t solve this by diving into a bottle, Denise.” Nattie argued.

“The hell I can’t. Dean made his choice. Now I’m making mine.” she said tearfully. Nikki waved Nattie off and sat there with the heart-broken woman, who was staring at the picture on her phone. Denise saw Nattie on her phone, having a lively conversation with someone.

The waitress delivered what looked to be 3 10 oz glasses of Petron on the rocks, so Nikki took one and began to sip it. Denise took one and began to guzzle it. Nikki grabbed her hand and lowered the glass. “Take it easy. That is really high proof and you don’t want to get sick, do you?”

“I want to forget tonight.” she whispered tearfully. Looking at the picture, she lifted the glass again. By the time Nattie returned from her phone call a few minutes later, Denise had one glass empty and had started on the second one. Nikki looked at Nattie with a very worried expression. Denise couldn’t see what Nattie mouthed and she didn’t care.

There was a disturbance that began near the doorway and moved all the way to the VIP section. Denise didn’t pay attention to it. The alcohol was starting to make her fingers and toes tingle. She lifted the glass that was now half empty to try and finish this cup of Petron only to have a firm hand stop its assent. “You’ve had enough.” he growled in her ear.

Denise’s head spun to face Dean causing her to nearly fall over. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“When you are acting like this I do.” he said, reaching for her glass.

Denise blocked him with her phone. Dean froze. “Thinking of me, were you?”

“I can explain.” he said.

“You can explain why you sent me a picture of another woman’s pussy, your obviously excited boner in the peripheral of the photo, and the message ‘Thinking of You’? You actually have an explanation for **_that_**?!?! This should be good. By all means, explain.” Denise crossed her arms over her chest, the level of her ire evident as the alcohol really didn’t seem to be affecting her. Dean realized that nothing he could possibly say would explain that damning photo.


	22. Chapter 22

Denise blinked her eyes rapidly. Her head was throbbing. She turned her head slightly and groaned. She tried to pull her arms down from their stretched position over her head, only to find that they were stuck. She pulled harder. _What the fuck?_ Slowly turning her head to the side, she saw her scarves tied to her wrists and then crisscrossed and tied to tables on either side of the bed, binding her in the middle of the bed. Denise closed her eyes and tucked her head under her arm. _What the hell happened last night?_

“Have you figured it out yet?” a familiar gravelly voice whispered from the corner of the room. Denise didn’t respond. “We aren’t moving until we get this settled. I love you too much to lose you over this shit.” Denise still didn’t speak. “You don’t want to talk or your head hurts too much? I gave you Tylenol three hours ago. Do you want Motrin? You drank enough to put Roman **and** me down.”

“I’d like something.” she whimpered.

Dean helped her sit up and sip water, then he gave her two pills and a little more water. He sat beside her and ran his fingers through her hair for a moment. “How’s your stomach?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I doubt you remember emptying it last night. I think you came as close to alcohol poisoning as I have ever seen. Almost 20 ounces of straight Patron in less than 10 minutes? What were you thinking? No, don’t answer that. I know what you were thinking. You shoved the picture in my face and told me to explain it. That was right before you nailed me in the balls and made me chase you for a block and a half. I caught you just as you passed out.”

“I don’t remember.” Denise whispered.

“You wouldn’t, would you?” Dean replied. “You had just guzzled almost a whole bottle of Patron **ALONE**. You aren’t going to remember most of last night.”

“Why am I tied to the bed?” she whispered.

“Good question.” Dean ran his fingers through her hair again. “Let’s see. You kicked me in the balls. You ran from the club. You passed out on the street and would have collapsed there, alone, had I not caught you. As I was carrying you…physically carrying you back here…you roused up enough to vomit on me. Not once, not twice, but three times. When we finally got into this room, you regained consciousness enough to try and run. Not once but twice. We both needed to get cleaned up, so I took you into the shower, then dressed you and tied you to the bed so I could get cleaned up. You see, as much as I love you and as much as I enjoy our bedroom games, being covered in your vomit is not something I enjoy. I was also not going to risk coming out of the shower and finding you gone.” Dean ran his fingers down her sides, gently caressing her. “When I looked at you, I realized how much we needed to talk and how badly that picture looks. If you are free to leave, you will. I have to keep you here listening to me so you hear, so you understand. I’ll drag Seth in if I have to…I didn’t do anything wrong. I love you and I wouldn’t cheat in any way, shape, or form. Ever.” Dean ducked his head and laid it on her stomach. “I have to have you in my life. I can’t lose you. Not because of another woman. Not to another man. Not to poor decisions. Not to illness. I can’t lose you. You are my other half. My sanity.”

Denise pulled on the scarves, but they didn’t give. Her head still throbbed. _He sounds so pitiful. But that picture…A picture is worth a thousand words. On the other hand, things aren’t always what they seem. He did so much for me while I was sick and, apparently, while I was drunk out of my mind._ “I am a captive audience. Explain how that could possibly happen.”

Dean sat back and looked Denise in the eye. He readjusted himself to kneel at her side and took a deep breath. “I think Seth set me up.” Denise raised an eyebrow. “I am serious. I’ve thought back over what happened. Here’s what I remember. I was uncomfortable all night because, while I used to like going to that sort of place, you are the only woman I want to see. What we have is what excites me now. I was messaging you instead of looking at the dancing women. He wasn’t happy and told me to ‘get into the mood’ because I was ‘putting a damper on the evening’. I felt like I was cheating when I looked or when the guys stuffed money in their G-strings. That’s really different than the old me.” Dean chuckled. “The funny thing is how fine with that I am. Wow. Anyway, sorta saw Seth talking to this girl but I didn’t think anything about it because I was sending you a message. ‘Thinking of you’. But as I typed it, she plopped on my lap. I wasn’t looking up, she was just there. I don’t know how she hit the button on the phone to snap the picture and the send button, but her leg had to hit both. Unfortunate circumstance. Because I jumped up and dumped her on the floor saying something to the effect of ‘My woman would NOT approve!’ and leaving the club. It wasn’t until Nattie called that I checked my phone and saw the picture. She told me where you were, so that’s where I headed. You know the rest now.” Dean bowed his head and folded his hands in his lap.

Denise took in Dean’s subservient posture. True, she was still bound to the bed, but she understood his motivation. He was fighting for their relationship with all that he had, the only way he knew…The way she had taught him. “Dean.” He didn’t move. “Dean.” He raised his head fractionally. “I believe you.” He collapsed across her chest, pulling her up and clutching her shoulders. Denise thought she felt tears falling from his eyes and soaking her shirt.

“We are going to be okay. We are going to be okay.”

“We will be okay.” she promised.

“Hold me.” Dean asked her softly.

“Um…”

“Oh…” he said sheepishly, reaching for the scarves. To Dean’s chagrin, the scarves had tightened during the night and were difficult to untie. “Fuck it.” he swore, tearing at the fabric. Denise saw the Lunatic Fringe appear as Dean frantically tore through his checked luggage until he found his utility knife. He crawled across her body and cut the scarves free. “I am so sorry. So so sorry.”

Denise dropped her arms to his shoulders. “We are here, together. We are okay. We are okay.”

Dean looked up at Denise. “Can we please just go home? I want to go home now.”


	23. Chapter 23

This trip home was so different than the last. Denise wasn’t running or hiding. Dean was by her side. Quite literally, in fact. Every time she moved, so did he. They were currently waiting for their flight to be called, and he was out cold on her shoulder. That meant that every flinch of her body resulted in a movement in his and every twinge she made was echoed in his limbs. They were linked, it seemed, physically.

A whisper came from behind Denise’s head. “I hope you two are okay.”

Denise held Dean’s head still as she turned her head to the side to look at Seth from the corner of her eye. “Somehow, I doubt you really mean that. From the get-go, Seth. You’ve set this up from the get-go. The strip club, the drinks, the women, the lap dance...you set the whole thing up.”

Seth leaned over the seat, actually on his knees so he could lean over her shoulder and look her in the eye. “I did not set Dean up to get in trouble with you. You just got a job to travel with him and you make him so happy. This was supposed to be a celebration. You with the girls and him with the guys, like the old days. Dean always enjoyed going to a strip club and looking at the girls. He’s always been the life of the party. Last night was different. Really different. I guess I pushed a little too hard to relive the past one more time. Don’t hold my mistake against him.” Denise met Seth’s look. “Don’t make Dean pay for what I did.”

Denise felt Dean shift in his seat. _Was Dean awake? Was he listening?_ “I’m not sure what exactly you mean, Seth. A lot of hurt happened last night. I don’t know if you are aware of the full extent, but there is a lot of pain that someone needs to atone for. Are you saying that you are willing to step up and pay that price?” Dean wiggled again. _He’s definitely awake._

Seth pulled his ticket out and handed it to Denise. “It’s too late to switch tickets now. Surprise! I was coming to your house to apologize to you both in person. I owe it to you both not to wait and to try and make it up to you.” He tucked his ticket away. “I mean, I’m getting a hotel room and all, but I wanted to…”

The rest of their conversation was cut off as their flight was called to board.

On the plane, Denise and Dean cuddled together. “I think it is sweet that Seth wants to make up for his screw ups. It’s good to man-up to one’s mistakes, and so quickly, too. No one had to harp on him.”

Dean looked at Denise with puppy-dog eyes and a lip that stuck out. “But I wanted to…you know.”

“We can still do that.” Denise promised, scratching his scalp with her nails tenderly. She leaned close to whisper in his ear. “Maybe Seth needs an introduction into the world of bondage and frustration; tease and torment without release while we come over and over and over again. He’ll learn not to mess with our relationship after this break is over with.” Dean’s grip on the arm rest intensified.

“I agree. Let’s do it.” He kissed her quickly. “Just don’t make me touch him.”

“Oh, no, baby. You aren’t out of the woods yet, either. We’ve still got a few things we need to settle.” Denise assured him.

“Thank God!” Dean muttered against her skin.

“I believe you mean, ‘Yes, please, Mistress’ or ‘As you wish, Mistress’.” Denise smirked.

“If it pleases you, Mistress.” Dean said with a huge grin crossing his face. Then he whispered, “Because I sure as hell am looking forward to this.”


	24. Chapter 24

When the trio entered Denise’s house, Dean and Seth carried her bags. Dean told Seth to put his shoes in the bin, quietly telling the other man that she was very particular about the cleanliness of her floors. Seth followed his directions almost meekly. Denise headed for the kitchen to begin dinner while the guys sorted the laundry that needed to be washed.

“I swear, I didn’t mean to crash your time together. I was headed for a hotel.” Seth whispered to Dean.

Dean grabbed Seth’s pile of dark dirty laundry and added it to the pile of his and Denise’s. “We talked and agreed that it made no sense for you to stay alone. There’s room here.” He reached for the light colored clothing that Seth was clutching in his hands. “Save water, dude. No need in running up her water bill.” He added the clothes into one common pile before leaning against the washer. “You want to make things up to us, to her. That’s going to require groveling. As many times as I have screwed up, I’m getting really good at groveling. Take notes.” Suddenly Dean’s demeanor changed and he was in Seth’s face. “But if you do anything to harm her, threaten her in any way, make her feel uncomfortable – and I mean here or at work – I will end you. She is my all. I will risk everything to protect her. You should know that now. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, means more to me than Denise Chester.”

Seth’s response was quiet and clear. “I understand.” In reality, Seth had no clue what Dean was talking about. He understood that Dean loved and cared for his woman and he was protective of her, but he did not hear the underlying warning that Dean had given him about what would be coming. No clue about how his life was about to change…

Denise looked through her freezer and cabinets trying to decide what she could feed two hungry men. “Ah Ha!” she exclaimed and pulled out some frozen pre-cooked shrimp, rice, soy sauce, frozen peas, and eggs. She put the rice on the stove and then began to preheat the pan with oil. She ran water over the shrimp in the sink. While that was going on, she scrambled a couple of eggs in a measuring cup. The men came into the kitchen as Denise was putting the rice into the hot pan with the shrimp, peas, and soy. Dean glanced at her preparations and handed Seth three bowls. He pointed to the dining room table. Dean got the glasses and ice but had to settle for canned drinks since they had been on the road. When Seth came back into the kitchen, Denise opened the drawer and showed him the spoons and chop sticks. She finished the food with the eggs and then put the shrimp stir-fry in a large serving bowl. As soon as the food was on the table and before Denise sat down, Seth grabbed a heaping spoonful and put it in his bowl. Dean shook his head no frantically. Denise raised one eyebrow as she sat down. Catching Dean’s eye, Seth set his chopsticks back down on the table as Dean served Denise and then himself. Denise smiled at Dean and thanked him for being so considerate. Then they began to eat.

“Why don’t you go relax, let Seth and I get this.” Dean suggested when they were done eating.

“You cooked, we clean.” Seth agreed.

Denise smiled a small smile and stood up. Once the men cleared the table, she picked up the captain’s chair (the one that has arms) and carried it upstairs. Time to prepare for the evening’s festivities.

Dean looked at the clock. It was quarter ‘til eight and Denise had been upstairs for twenty minutes. He knew she wasn’t going to bed, or at least she wasn’t going to sleep this early. Making sure that Seth was still busy drying dishes, Dean crept out of the kitchen and raced up the steps. Entering the doorway of the bedroom, Dean froze at the scene Denise had set up.

In the far corner of the room was the captain’s chair from the dining room. Restraints had been added that hadn’t been there at dinner. Denise had also hung handcuffs from the canopy frame. His cock ring was lying on the bed, right next to a flogger, paddle, and blindfold. Walking closer, he realized that she had other “toys” laid out on her dresser. His hands nearly shook in anticipation…

Denise heard Dean enter the room. She finished putting on her shoes and turned off the bathroom light. She watched Dean take in everything. She watched his hands tremble. She bit back a smile as she knew he was already growing hard. _This is going to be fun. So. Much. Fun!_

Dean moved back towards the bed as Denise heard the creak of a person coming up the stairs. She wiped all traces of humor from her face and held her countenance firm. When Seth approached the room and cautiously called, “Um…guys?” Denise stepped into the bedroom.

“In here.” Her tone was severe. Dean’s head jerked up and his eyes widened. When Seth reached the doorway, he froze before stuttering and stammering. Denise cut him off quickly. “You do not have permission to speak. You will not speak unless granted permission, understood?” Seth nodded. Denise pointed to the chair. “Sit.” Seth didn’t move. “SIT!” she roared. Seth ran across the room and sat in the chair. “Restrain him.” Dean quickly moved to his friend’s side and fastened all of the restraints. Denise then shooed Dean away and circled Seth slowly. “So. You want to apologize straining our relationship. You want to apologize for taking Dean to a strip club and sending a girl to sit on his lap. You think that a little ‘I’m sorry’ is going to cut it.” Denise leaned over into Seth’s face. “I have news for you, little boy…That isn’t good enough. Not by a long shot.” Denise slid one hand from Seth’s cheek down his chest and to his crotch. “You are going to learn exactly the kind of woman you pissed off. Don’t ever piss me off. You can’t handle it, I promise you.” Denise stood up, walked over to her toys, grabbed a ball gag, and looked at Dean. “Why aren’t you in position?” She walked back over to Seth and circled behind him. She slid her hands around his neck, feeling him swallow hard. “As you can probably tell, Dean and I have a rather unique and relationship. We are really into our dominant and submissive roles; something that we are also very protective of. Tonight you get to watch and partake in our fun and games. You like games, don’t you Seth? You won’t get off on watching though, will you? Because that would make me very unhappy. And we don’t want that do we? Do we, Seth?”

“No, ma’am.” he whispered.

“Glad that we understand one another. Now, open up.” Denise ordered. Seth followed her directions and she slipped the gag in place.

Dean was still on the other side of the bed, hands on his boxer briefs, looking at the floor. Denise walked over to him and lifted his head with a gentle hand under his chin. “Are you okay? Second thoughts?”

He murmured, “Watching him watch…I…I’m fine with it. But watching him watch.”

Denise reached for the blindfold on the bed. “Will this help? He is gagged, so you shouldn’t hear him. With this, you shouldn’t see him. Do you really want to do this? Last chance.” she whispered in his ear.

“I want this.” he answered, lifting her hands to his eyes. Denise tied the blindfold in place and Dean dropped his last garment. Denise guided Dean into place and he latched his wrists into the handcuffs. She caressed his shoulders and kissed his neck. She slid her arms around his waist and around his cock. She propped her chin on Dean’s shoulder, made eye contact with Seth, and steadily pulled on Dean. The veins in the necks of both men began to stand out. Denise knew the time was right, so she slid the cock ring onto Dean and made sure it was nice and snug. “Ff-uucckk.” he groaned, low and steady, letting his head drop back. Seth shook his head no slowly.

“You know this is just the beginning.” Denise murmured, reaching for the lube. She rubbed his ass firmly, repeatedly. When he began to moan and fidget, she lubed the vibrating plug and inserted it slowly. Dean rocked with the intrusion, unable to fight the excitement or reach the release the vibrations made his body seek desperately. Denise moved to his front, capturing his lips in a hard kiss before moving away.

Kneeling in front of Seth, she whispered, “See anything you like?” Seth nodded. “You think you can handle this?” He nodded again. Denise held up another butt plug. “Even this?” she questioned again. Seth hesitated and then nodded. “Damn. You really want to work for this forgiveness, don’t you?” Denise unzipped Seth’s pants a slight bit, turned on the vibrating plug, and slipped it inside so it rested against his awakening cock. “Enjoy…”

Seth squirmed against his restraints as he watched Denise’s red-leather clad body shimmy and sway back towards his bound friend on the bed. _Lucky fucker._ He’d never thought about her like this before but now, in this environment, with this **thing** vibrating against him…Seth’s eyes grew wide as Denise picked up a paddle. _What is she going to do with that? Surely not…_

“What have you done, Dean?”

“I went to a strip club.” Whack. “I looked at other women.” Whack. “I drank alcohol, and too much at that.” Whack. Whack. “A stripper sat on my lap before I could get her off.” Seth tried to defend his friend, but the gag prevented him from saying anything. The sound and sight of paddle landing another whack filled his ears.

“Do you want to take his punishment, Seth?” Denise asked. Seth shook his head no. To Seth’s surprise, Dean shook his head no even more vehemently. _He wants this? He **likes**_ _this? What am I missing?_ Denise traded the paddle for the flogger. She began to work Dean’s thighs and ass. Seth listened more closely. _Those weren’t groans of pain or requests to stop. Those were moans of delight…excitement…pleasure. Dean was getting off on this. Denise was in tune with his pleasure, very in tune and pushing him closer to the brink. Daamn…_

Denise looked at Dean’s straining cock. He was so close, so close. Her lover’s head was almost purple. She laid her toys down and caressed him gently before closing her lips over his member softly. A soft gasp fell from his lips. His hips rocked as she sucked him and fondled his balls. Seth groaned from the corner. Denise reached up and pulled the blindfold from Dean’s eyes. He blinked repeatedly to adjust to the light and while he looked down at her wrapped around his cock. She smiled up at him and pulled the lace apart that contained her breasts. Dean’s mouth opened, silently making a request. Denise made two more long draws before releasing him and moving up to Dean’s face. “Did you want something?” she whispered, holding her breasts together and tweaking her nipples. He groaned and licked his lips. “Would you like a taste?” Dean’s head lowered slowly and captured one in his mouth. Denise ran her fingers through his hair and held his head to her chest. Dean groaned and sucked harder. His hips were still rocking against her body. Denise could feel that Dean was reaching the end of his rope. “Hold on baby.”

She pulled away from Dean. “There’s just one more thing.” She caressed his face. “I’ll be right back.” Denise grabbed the remaining gag from the dresser and placed it in Dean’s mouth. She whispered in his ear, “I haven’t forgotten what that picture did to me. Payback’s a bitch. Deal with it.” Dean wrenched on the handcuffs, but couldn’t escape.

Denise stalked towards Seth with a dangerous gleam in her eye. Seth squirmed in his seat. Denise grabbed him with both hands by the back of his neck as she straddled the chair, sliding her legs through the arm rests. “You have an affinity for lap dances, don’t you Seth? This is right up your alley, isn’t it?” she nearly growled as she lowered herself to grind on his jean-covered crotch. The vibrating bullet was still in place and touched Denise’s clit as she ground against his cock. Denise felt her first orgasm approaching and she let it come. She used it to give Seth the perfect lap dance, rocking and grinding him into exploding in his pants. When she heard his muffled cry, she kissed his forehead and moved from his lap. Denise turned back to the furious man chained to her bed and smirked. “Are you mad? Possessive? Do you want to do something to prove you are more of a man than he is? Can you make me cum harder than he did?” Dean was literally panting, nearly foaming at the mouth with want and desire. Denise stood at the end of the bed facing off with Dean. “One more question, Sub.” Dean’s head jerked up. “Are you ever going to go to a place like that or act like that again?” Dean’s head flew side-to-side. Denise reached over to release the gag.

“Lesson learned. No repeats.” he swore. Denise stretched up to release one cuff. Dean released the other and was moving off the bed. He was coming for Denise, who headed back over to Seth’s chair. Dean caught her behind the chair, bent over at the waist with her arms wrapped around Seth’s shoulders. Dean was out of his mind with need, seeing that the shiny red leather suit was crotchless and she was bent over exposing herself to him put him over the edge. He caught her around the waist with one arm and held her open with the other hand so he could slam himself inside. Denise’s body jerked forward, pushing her into Seth. Higher and higher he pushed until he was helpless to do anything except release himself and shout her name. Denise joined him, falling over the edge of oblivion and screaming his name. Seth held on to his chair and groaned. _The things these two…Dear God…How in the hell had he survived? Would they let him play again? Maybe participate more next time?_


	25. Chapter 25

The shower rained down on the joined bodies of Denise and Dean. Her fingers ran through his wet hair, holding his head to her chest as he nipped gently at her collar bone. Dean’s fingers dug into her hips as he moved her body in the rhythm he wanted; up and down, up and down, faster and faster, harder and harder…Denise threw back her head and let a keening cry echo through the room.

* * *

 

As Dean pulled on his track pants, he thought he heard a sound outside the closed bathroom door. _I know that stupid fucker isn’t…There are limits, asshole._ Dean poured a glass of water over the towels on the rack. “Babe, the towels are all wet. I’m going to go get you some dry ones. Be right back.” He yanked the door open, shoved Seth, and shut the door quickly. Grabbing Seth’s arm, he drug the other man into the hallway. “Let me explain something to you, jackass. You were invited into our bedroom, not our bathroom. You need to know your boundaries. Denise is mine. Got that? MINE. Not yours, not ours, MINE.” Dean shoved Seth to the floor, leaving him on his ass against the wall. Dean went to the closet and grabbed towels for Denise and returned to the bathroom, going in to dry her off.

“You look pissed.” she said as soon as she saw him. “What happened in the 45 seconds since I saw you last?”

Dean started to shake his head. Denise grabbed his chin and Dean looked her in the eye. “I opened the bathroom door and found Seth listening to us. It pissed me off.” Denise looped her arms around his neck. “No matter what happened in there,” he jerked his head toward the bedroom, “he wasn’t invited in here. Encroaching on our privacy pisses me off. Dom/Sub, it doesn’t matter. You are my woman and he crossed a line, dammit!”

Denise slid her hands up his chest and whispered, “Shhhh.” She kissed the underside of his jaw. “I am not questioning you, dear. I seem to remember an agreement we had. Do you remember?” Dean wrapped his arms around her waist. “Before everything went south, you said you didn’t was PDA’s, roses, hand-holding, and shit but you wanted a label, exclusivity, and the right to beat the shit out of any man who made a pass at me. You said that you had the right to protect and defend me because I am yours.” Dean’s arms became progressively tighter as she spoke. His head lowered until his lips rested against her neck and her fingers buried in his hair. “Those words, at that time, made me quiver in anticipation. I was so wet. Thinking about them still makes me so excited.” Denise confessed. “To be so loved and cared for…What that does to me…What it makes me feel…” Dean picked her up and sat her on the counter next to the sink. Denise pulled his head back, resting their foreheads together so they looked into each other’s eyes. “We came so close to losing this, Dean. We can’t.”

“I can’t believe you remember.” he whispered, swallowing hard. “I need…” His voice broke. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I need you. You level me, ground me, keep me calm. I fuck up without you. I can let go and just be. You take control, you take the reins and everything is fine. You mentioned walking in to the arena together and how you felt when I…” Dean trailed off again as emotion made his voice ragged. Denise kissed the side of his mouth. “I have decided I like PDA’s. The way they make us both feel and the statement it makes to everyone else. I want to hold your hand. I don’t want any more guys’ or girls’ nights out. I want us, together, out when we want to go out. I don’t want other people in our bedroom. I just want you and me…I like what we have. It works for me.”

Denise wrapped her legs around Dean, hooking her feet at the small of his back. She kissed his chin. “Tonight was a one-time deal. Never again.”

“Seth wants…”

“Who cares what Seth wants? He isn’t in this relationship!” Denise whispered harshly.

Dean yanked her up off the counter so they were eyelevel. “Relationship. You said relationship. We are in a relationship.” The way Denise was cradled in his arms was…emotional. Special. She knew how much her acknowledgement meant to him.

“Dean, I love you. You know that. You and only you.” Denise pressed kisses along his jaw, chin, nose, and the corners of his mouth.

Dean spun around and pinned Denise against the wall, tilting her head to receive his possessive kiss. “I love you. So damn much. Damn…” Denise saw tears in the corners of Dean’s eyes. “Never doubt, Denise. Never doubt how much I love you.”

“Let’s go get rid of Rollins so we have the rest of our time off alone.” Denise whispered.

“Great plan.” Dean whispered back. “You start the car and I’ll kill him.” Denise pulled Dean’s ear and squeezed her thighs. “FINE. We don’t have to kill him.”

* * *

 

Denise found Seth sitting in the hall exactly where Dean had left him. She sat down beside him, pulling her knees to her chest. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Seth stared at his fingers, picking at his nails.

“You were really intrigued by what you saw, weren’t you?” Denise asked softly. Seth nodded. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I wanted to join in with one of my best friends and his woman. I wanted what he has, to experience what he experienced.” Seth turned his head away, unable to face Denise.

Denise reached over to rest her hand on the shoulder closest to her. “You realize that that’s not going to happen.” He nodded.

“This was punishment for fucking up…I got that. But now that I…” Denise opened her other hand, showing Seth the plug that he’d left in the bedroom.

“No shame. No embarrassment. You have a woman of your own. A woman who is strong enough to handle you…Tell her what you need. Let her fulfill your desires. Who knows, maybe she has similar fantasies? Talk them out. Go to her. Take your new toy. Experiment with some new ones.” She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Denise had to strain to hear Seth’s question. “Can we call you? In case either of us want to talk?”

Dean answered from the doorway. “Absolutely. You are my bro, dude.”

“I’m outa here.” Seth grabbed the toy from Denise’s hand and jumped up. He gave Dean and Denise quick hugs and took off for the airport.  


	26. Chapter 26

Seth walked into his apartment cautiously. He had flown home on the red-eye and knew that Kay would be sleeping in their bed. He set his luggage down in the living room, against the sofa. He took a small bag from his suitcase and tiptoed down the hall to their room. He stripped to his skivvies and slid into bed, reaching for Kay’s body. A sniffle and a muffled, “I thought you weren’t coming home” surprised him.

Seth rolled Kay onto her back. “Are you crying?” He ran the backs of his fingers down the side of her face, feeling the wetness there. “Why are you crying?”

Kay curled into Seth’s body. “You sent a text that you were spending your days off with Dean and Denise. You weren’t coming home. You didn’t ask me to come. What was I supposed to think? To feel? You are pulling away from me…I’m losing you. The spark that we used to have…”

Seth pulled back slightly, kissing her forehead. “I love you, Kay. Only you.” He kissed her eyes. He kissed her cheeks. He used his lips and tongue to dry her tears. “Kay, I know how to get our spark back. Do you trust me?” Seth whispered in her ear. She nodded. He whispered in her other ear. “The thing is, I have been a really bad boy. I made you cry.” Kay’s eyebrows drew up on her forehead. Seth reached for the bag he brought with him. “I have some things for us to try. Before you look…know that you would try them on me.” He rolled her on top, so she straddled him and rested his hands nervously on her waist.

Kay opened the plain brown bag slowly. There were individual packages inside, each one with block printing on the exterior.

CUFF HIS WRISTS TO THE HEADBOARD

FLOG – THIGHS, BACK, SHOULDERS ONLY

PLUG – ASK SETH, USE GENTLY

SCARVES – IN CASE OF FLOPPING LEGS

Seth held his breath as she looked in the bag, expressionless, for several moments. Finally she raised her gaze to his face. She swallowed hard. “You want this?”

He caressed her waist and thighs softly. “I deserve it. You need to punish me for the pain I have caused you. But it is the most pleasurable punishment…” he whispered.

“Have you done this…?” she whispered.

“No, baby. No. I just know people who do; who are a solid couple and love each other very much. Nothing will shake them.” he whispered.

Something seemed to click inside Kay. She raised an eyebrow as she opened the cuffs. Seth maintained eye contact as he raised his hands over his head and grabbed the wooden spindles on the headboard. She leaned over Seth’s head to snap the cuffs to his wrists through the spindles. She slid her hands down his arms, feeling his biceps and triceps flex as she touched them. “This is exciting you.” She whispered against his mouth. Seth pressed a quick kiss in response.

Kay sat up and reached into the bag. “This package says to ask you and use gently.”

Seth groaned and thrust his hips against Kay. “We have to wait for that one. We don’t have any lube.”

Kay laid the package on Seth’s chest and pulled out another one. Unwrapping it, she moved to the side of the bed and smiled down at Seth. “I think **_I_** want to know what is in the package, not when **_you_** think we should use it. You told me **_I_** am in control.” She brought the flogger down on the top of his thighs. Seth let out a low moan. Kay watched the bulge in his underwear grow as she brought the flogger down on his other thigh. “So, Sethie…What’s in the package?”

“It’s…um…It’s a plug.” he muttered.

Kay moved up to use the flogger on his stomach. “You are purposely being difficult. What is the use of the plug, Seth? Where does it go? What is it used for?”

“It vibrates…Dear lord, woman” She flogged him again, “It goes in my…It goes in my ass…” Kay laid the flogger on Seth’s chest and opened the plug. Turning it on, she set it against his cock.

“You want this lubed and in your ass? Why?” she asked.

“It rubs against something that feels really good.” he groaned. “You realize where you…” Kay was pulling scarves from the bag and pulling on his ankles. “Damn. You are really into this.” he groaned again.

“You said you were a bad boy and deserved to be punished.” Kay whispered. Once his ankles were spread apart, she lightly tickled the inside of his calves and thighs with her fingernails. Seth jerked in response. Kay laughed and stood up straight. “I think I like this.” She stripped and crawled in between his legs. Picking up the plug she said, “You said this needs lube?” Seth stared at the plug with fiery eyes. “I believe I have some.” Kay rolled to her side, leaving her legs splayed across Seth. She made sure he had the perfect view of her wet channel as she slid the plug in and out and then back in, clamping her legs shut with a moan. “Damn, this feels good. No wonder you want it so bad.” She lifted her hips against him, rocking and moaning. Kay slid one hand into her hair and one hand around his cock. “Oh, Seth…” Handcuffs rattled against the headboard helplessly. Kay rolled her head to face him with a blissful smile. “Babe, that was just a small one.” She pulled the plug free and straddled him again, giving him another beautiful view of her dripping wet cunt as she licked the tip of his cock. “Hang on, Sethie. Here it goes.” she warned as she slowly slipped the plug home.

The first feeling of the plug was…filling. Exciting. Explosive. Mind-blowing. He couldn’t control the thrust that sent his cock into her mouth. She took him in, caressing his mushroom tip with her tongue. Her fingers surrounded his base tightly, much like a cock-ring, not letting him come. _I am so thankful this is not over yet._ Kay sank back, actually within reach of his mouth. He took advantage, snaking his tongue across her clit in tandem with her sucking. _There is no way we are going to last._ She rocked back as he thrust up. He rattled the handcuffs again, wanting to grab ahold of her and pin her beneath him. It was his time to take control, to be The Man. Seth could feel her smile against his cock before she pulled away and sat over his face. Seconds later she spun completely around and hovered directly over him. “You said I was in control.” He nodded, ready to beg. “You really want me.” He nodded again, frantically. Ever…so…slowly…she…sank…down. Seth didn’t think he would ever fill her. His ass was vibrating and Kay was taking her sweet time, was this torture ever going to end? When Kay was finally fully seated, she rose and fell in an easy rhythm, one that brought tears of frustration to Seth’s eyes.

“Kay…please. I have to…Just, please.” Seth begged. Kay smiled and buried her hands in her hair, continuing her steady rhythm. Seth tried to buck up into her only to find that she clenched around him and that it did no good. “KAY!” he shouted. Kay leaned over him, no longer moving. With one hand, she released the cuffs. Seth slowly moved his hands, gripping Kay as he slid their bodies down the bed. His ankles were still bound but he knew there wasn’t time to free them. Once he had enough room to move as he needed, he tightened his grip on Kay and slammed into her with as much force as he could muster. The tightening of her body and the gasp of his name on her lips was all he needed. Seth blew with gusto. Kay collapsed on top of him in wonder.

* * *

 

Denise folded Seth and Dean’s wrestling gear into the suitcase. “So, how do you think things went for Seth when he got home?” she asked the man lounging in the doorway.

“I’m guessing pretty good.” Dean answered. “He hasn’t realized that he left his gear here yet. And he did text to say Kay is coming on the road this weekend. Apparently she wants to talk with you about playing and traveling.”

“As long as they aren’t thinking about playing together, everything is good.” Denise said with a smile.


	27. Chapter 27

Dean grabbed the large suitcase and the large duffel bag that held the gear he would need for the night. Denise pulled a smaller suitcase and a small duffel. They adjusted the straps and bags, Dean slammed the trunk shut, and then they turned toward the arena. Denise took her first step before he drew her up short. Dean planted his arm on her waist, sticking three of his fingers in her back pocket. He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead and muttered, “Mine” before pulling her towards the arena door. Denise slid her arm around his waist, tucking her thumb in one belt loop, and whispered back, “Mine.” A half smile crossed Dean’s face.

Once inside the arena, Denise and Dean stowed their luggage in a locker room now reserved for the two of them and headed for catering. On the way, high-pitched squeals gave them pause. “I guess one of us should have let Nattie and Nikki know that you were okay.” Dean chuckled, curling Denise against his chest.

 “We were kinda busy.” Denise laughed in response.

 “True. True.” Dean faced the oncoming women. “Hi, ladies. How are you this evening?”

 “Don’t even start that, Dean Ambrose!” Nattie touched Denise’s shoulder. “The last time we saw you, you were running away from him.”

“You’d nailed him in the grapefruits.” Nikki said with a snicker. “It was funny to watch him try and run after you. You certainly laid one on him, hon.”

“Then we didn’t hear anything from you for days. What happened?” Nattie asked.

Denise looked at Dean with a secret smile. “He caught up with me. Dean caught up with me and took good care of me since I had drunk myself into oblivion. Then we had a heart-to-heart and straightened things out. We are good, all good.” Dean nodded in agreement with her account of the story. Then Denise added, “We have agreed that we aren’t doing guys and girls nights in the future, though. We’ll go out together. Less risk of issues coming up that way.”

“You have to trust each other…” Nikki started to argue.

“And you have to understand and respect a decision that we made together for the benefit of our relationship.” Dean said firmly. “Our relationship. Our decision. Not requiring anyone else’s approval.” Denise nodded.

Nattie grabbed Nikki’s elbow and began to drag her away. “We get it. No night out is worth screwing up a relationship, especially with what you guys have been through and what just happened. We just want you to be happy. Right Nikki?” Nikki groaned in agreement as she was pulled down the hall.

Denise and Dean were laughing together at Nikki’s antics when they heard another familiar voice. “Care to share the joke?” Looking over Denise’s shoulder, they saw Seth standing a few feet away with his arm around a woman with auburn hair who was just tall enough to reach his chest.

Denise extended her hand. “Welcome. You must be Kay. Are you sure you are ready for the craziness that traveling with these guys is going to bring?”

Kay shook Denise’s hand and smiled. “I think I can handle it if you help. Seth isn’t always that great of a help.”

“Hey!” Seth yelped, moving behind her and propping his head on her shoulder like a lost puppy. “I always try to be helpful.” Both women shook their heads.

Kay ran her fingers through his hair with a sigh. “Have you found your ring gear yet?” Seth shrugged his shoulders. “Have you looked?” she asked. He shrugged again, drawing a giggle from Denise.

“This is why us guys have to stick together.” Dean muttered. “You women will torment and torment…”

Denise tapped Dean on the ass as she whispered, “Remember that later.”

Dean kissed her on the nose and said, “I promise to remind you I said that.” To Seth he said, “Come on, I have your gear in my bag.”

As soon as the guys were out of ear shot Kay turned to Denise as said, “Please tell me your secret.” Denise raised an eyebrow. “Dean is so into you, so…How can I say it…He listens and respects, teases and makes innuendo promises all at the same time. The two of you…”

Denise linked her arm through Kay’s. “Dean said that you wanted to talk about some lifestyle choices and about traveling. We don’t have to jump into everything right now, though.” A kind smile crossed her face making Kay feel comfortable. “The main thing that I will say is make sure you feel comfortable and confident with anything that you do. Whether it’s traveling or the other subject, your comfort in your own skin is very important. Communication with Seth is also critical. Any issues that Dean and I have had have been mainly because of a lack of communication.”

The women sat together in a corner of catering that no one else was near. “So you quit your job and travel with Dean full time?” Kay asked.

“Basically. I didn’t exactly quit, but I didn’t argue losing my job either because I love what I am doing here now. And spending time with him is a dream come true. Don’t tell him that – his ego won’t fit inside the doorway.” The women laughed and chatted about the similarities between their men before the men found them several minutes later. When Dean approached, Denise asked him for some fruit and a drink. Kay followed her example, sending Seth after her food. Denise took the time to continue the conversation. “Just keep in mind, what happens in the bedroom is one thing. Here, they are the alphas. They need to be in control. They are the dominants and protectors. That is how it has to be in order for the relationship to survive.” She raised her eyebrow. “Behind closed doors…”

“Other things can happen.” Kay whispered.

“Exactly.” Denise smiled.

The guys sat plates heaping with food on the table to share with their ladies. Dean put his arm around Denise and kissed her cheek. “Why do I fear the conversation the two of you were having?” he said with a smirk.

“Nothing to fear.” Denise said softly. “As long as you’ve been behaving.”

Seth dropped his fork on the floor. Kay laughed and said very quietly, “I guess someone has something to fear.” Seth swallowed hard.

Dean caressed Denise’s shoulder. “She learns fast.”

Denise nodded and murmured, “Remember what I said about timing.” Kay looked around and saw that a few more superstars were starting to filter in.

With a nod to Denise, she murmured to Seth, “You’ll just have to wait until later. For now get a clean fork.” Denise smiled and fed Dean a bite from the plate with her own fork. Some of the people entering the room remarked on how disgustingly sweet they were. _If you only knew what we were going to do tonight you’d know there’s nothing sweet about us._ The tip of her tongue darted between her teeth, eliciting a tiny growl from Dean. 


	28. Chapter 28

“Oh, no. This isn’t going to work!” Dean groaned ten minutes after he and Denise entered their hotel room for the night. He had been later than Seth leaving the show. Apparently they were next door to each other for the night…and Seth was a screamer. Dean flopped back on the bed. “There is no way I can possibly…Or sleep through that! DAMMIT!”

Denise decided to take Dean’s words as a challenge. She grabbed her bag and set it on the desk in the room. She began pulling toys out, cleaning them and laying them on the dresser in the order she intended on using them – cock ring, lube, vibrating bullet, feather duster, crop, and vibrator. Denise glanced over her shoulder, catching Dean in her periphery. He was lying on his side, captivated by her actions. She reached for the hem of her shirt, slowly pulling it over her head and dropping it on the floor. Turning to face Dean, Denise reached for her waistband. “If you are getting ideas, you need to strip, Lover.” Dean jumped up and stripped his clothes off in the blink of an eye. “Kneel in the center of the bed.”

Dean took his position, dropping his head as a squeal came through the wall. “We need to work on your focus, Sub. You are more concerned about other things than what is going on in this room. Your Mistress, Your Woman, does not like that…Not at all.” Dean looked up at Denise, taking in her stripped down body. She crawled over to meet him with a kiss as she slid the cock ring into place. Dean gripped his knees, knowing that he didn’t have permission to touch her. She moved her hands up to caress his hips, ghost across his stomach, trace his ribs, and lightly scratch his chest. She continued to kiss him as she pressed against him, chest to chest. Her nails lightly ran through his hair, against his scalp. Dean bit back a groan. _She knew how to raise the temperature, didn’t she? Where did her hands go?_ Still pressed against him, Denise began rubbing lube into and around Dean’s ass. He began to shiver and tremble with anticipation. His fingers dug into his knees as she slid the bullet into place with satisfying ‘pop’. Dean’s head dropped to her shoulder as he moaned. “Are you ready?” She asked? He nodded. While Dean’s head remained bowed and his eyes were closed, Denise took the feather duster and traced a path along his inner thighs. Light, teasing touches that he didn’t expect. His eyes flew open wide. His mouth dropped open in a large O. He surged forward onto all fours, his back bowed and head craned back. Dean bit his bottom lip. “Don’t hold it in. Let it out. Let go.” Denise encouraged.” She moved behind him and continued with the light touches in areas she knew were sensitive; his calves, his feet, his ball sack, his vibrating ass… Dropping the feathers, she picked up the crop and smacked the top of his quad. Dean responded to the change in sensation with a shout. He fisted the sheets and arched his back. Denise gave him more of what he wanted, alternating legs. Her eyes wandered to the last toy... _He is so ready. Dare I?_ She dropped the crop and picked up the vibrator. She slid it inside herself as she climbed in front of the overly excited man.  She rocked the vibrator, hitting her clit every time. The way Dean was positioned, it was so easy to use his leg to hump against…Denise was so close…she began rocking and moaning…Dean couldn’t even curse. She was so beautiful as she reached for what she wanted. He let go of the sheet with one hand and drug her body underneath of his. Rocked the vibrator two more times before tossing it aside and replaced the fake cock with his own. Denise screamed and Dean groaned. “Take it off.” Denise ordered, wrapping her legs around his waist. They both fumbled for the cock ring, getting it off and Dean was able to let loose. Screams and moans, shouts and groans filled the room. Finally they dropped to whispers and sighs of satisfaction.

Dean buried his head in Denise’s chest. “I love you so much. Don’t ever leave me.” he whispered as he drifted off to sleep.

“Never, my love.” Denise caressed his head as she stared at the ceiling. _Doesn’t he get how much I need him? How can I make him see?_


	29. Chapter 29

Seth and Dean met up in the gym the following morning. Neither man could look the other in the eye. Both went about their workouts carefully moving around the room avoiding the path of the other. They were men; men who knew the intimate details of the other’s sex life. This was uncomfortable.

* * *

 

In the rooms, Kay and Denise packed everything and then went to breakfast together. Finding a secluded corner, they began eating quietly. Kay watched Denise and finally spoke. “Something seems off with you.”

“How long have you and Seth been together, if you don’t mind my asking?” Denise asked almost shyly.

A large smile flashed across Kay’s face. “We’ve been together for nearly three years. We’ve been living together more than two of those years. I’d say we’ve been happy for most of it until we seemed to lose the spark. He found it very recently and now we are back on track.” She chewed her food for a second before asking “Why?”

“Every couple faces challenges.” Denise pushed her food around her plate. Kay touched her hand. “Words don’t seem to work. He doesn’t get the message through _that_ either. How do I convince him that I need him as much as he needs me?” Kay was shocked to see tears pooling in her new friend’s eyes. “Nothing seems to get through that thick head of his!”

“Oh, honey.” Kay grabbed Denise’s hand. “You love each other. You’ll figure this out. The kind of love that the two of you have will always overcome any odds, it’s just that strong.”

“Mind if we join you or is this a ladies’ only breakfast?” Seth greeted with a smile as he put his arm around Kay’s shoulder.

Dean came up and put his hand on the back of Denise’s chair. “I’ll be right back.” she said, popping up and dashing for the bathroom. Dean looked at her retreating back in confusion.

Kay tugged Seth into his chair and gestured Dean to sit down. When he started to speak she held up her hand. “I am not going to betray any confidences, not that I know that much anyway. What I have figured out is that the two of you, like the two of us, have some parts of your relationship that are healthy and rockin’. There are also parts that need some work. Try talking to her. Like box up breakfast and go talk…no funny business. She might cry, so be ready to hold her because that’s what a boyfriend is supposed to do if he loves his woman.”

Dean grabbed Denise’s plate and found a waitress. By the time Denise reemerged from the bathroom, Dean had two breakfasts boxed in to-go containers with drinks. He hooked his arm around her neck, careful not to spill anything, and led her out of the restaurant. “Where are we going?”

“Back to the room. I think we need some quiet time. Something’s going on.” he said against the side of her head. When they got into the elevator, Dean continued. “You know I love you. It tore me apart to see you upset and know that you didn’t talk to me about it. Kay knows something is up with us and I don’t. You have to talk to me. I’d do anything for you, baby. Anything.” As soon as they were in the room, Denise curled into a ball on the sofa. Dean sat the food on the table and sat beside her, clutching her knees. “I mean it. I would do anything for you. You mean more to me than…”

Denise put her hand over his mouth. “Stop. Just…stop. This is what bothers me, Dean. You say things like this. You say you need me, that I level out your lunatic. You constantly ask me not to leave you.” His eyes widened and he started to say something but she cut him off and jumped up. “Not a word, dammit! You always get to say shit like that, Dean. I don’t get to say how I need you or how you complete me. How you match the jagged edges of my life so perfectly. No, neither of us is perfect alone, but together we are a damn perfect match! I never get to say that. I never get to say how safe and complete I feel in your arms…How the only place I feel like myself is with you. When am I allowed to tell you that for once in my miserable life I feel HAPPY? Hmm? I get to be me. Not only is there no judgment, no name-calling, and no backlash for the choices I’ve made; there is actually acceptance, freedom, and encouragement. I don’t. I get to be the strong one, the one that comforts you and is there for you. Well sometimes it f*cking sucks, you know that? Sometimes I want to be the one that curls up on your chest and says that I love you and I want you to hold on to me forever, not to ever let me go. We agreed that the dom/sub roles would stay in the bedroom, not that they would be all-inclusive in the bedroom. Dammit.” Denise realized that tears were free-falling down her face. “You have no idea how much I hate being a weepy weak woman.” She closed her eyes and began frantically wiping at her cheeks.

Dean jumped up and pulled her to his chest, pinning her hands between their bodies. He clamped one arm around her waist and slid his fingers into her hair so he could hold her head tilted up to his. “Open your eyes. Don’t you dare lose your courage now.” he muttered. Denise’s eyes fluttered open. “Hear me now, woman.” He touched their noses together and spoke softly. “I love you. You love me. We need each other. We have to have the balls to talk to each other, right? Neither of us can keep shit from the other. No running. No hiding.” He pressed a trembling kiss to her lips. Denise felt Dean’s fingers pulling her shirt up. They parted long enough for him to toss both shirts and her bra on the floor before he yanked her back against his body, muttering, “I like that description you said, our jagged edges do match perfectly. Look at how well we fit together.” Denise started to back away. Dean took the opportunity to divest her of her jeans and make short work of his own before picking her up and sitting back down on the sofa with her straddling his lap. “Don’t fight this. You know how you feel.” Denise immediately went limp against Dean’s chest. “Nope. Not that either. Sit up, babe. Sit up and face me.” Dean ran his hands along Denise’s side and helped her sit up. “I heard what you said. You are right. Games are fun and we need those roles in moderation. It’s not fair of me to ask you to take that role night after night. I am your man and I need to act like it in private as well as public. We belong to each other, Denise.” He took her hand and guided it to the very hard part standing between their bodies. “We have to work this out…when I need you to be my Mistress, when you need to take that role, when I want to take my woman, and when you want your man to…”

Denise raised her other hand to Dean’s mouth. “I need my man.” She began to gently stroke him. “I need my man to make me feel cherished.”

He sat up straighter, murmuring, “I fucking cherish everything about you” before capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. Her legs clamped around his waist as he slid to the edge of the sofa and then he lurched to his feet. Without stumbling he walked to the bed and crawled to the middle, not losing his grip on Denise in the process. Ever so slowly he lowered her to the mattress and followed her down, sliding into her as he did. Dean never released her from the intense kiss that they had shared so they began swallowing each other’s moans as passions began to crest. Denise wrapped her legs around Dean, trying to find some way to hold on. He reached down and grabbed her thighs, pulling them over his shoulders. She whimpered his name. He held on to her hips and thrust harder, murmuring hers. Running their fingers into each other’s hair, they simultaneously gasped as they came. 


	30. Christmas Epilogue

Denise curled into Dean’s side as they prepared to fall asleep. With a big yawn she kissed his bare shoulder and murmured, “You haven’t told me what you want for Christmas.”

“Eh, whatever. Socks. New T’s for the ring. Christmas isn’t a huge deal to me.” he said.

“It’s our first Christmas together.” Denise whispered as she fell asleep.

Dean was suddenly wide awake. This Christmas thing must be huge. Not making a big deal out of it would be a mistake. He needed to do something. But what? Who to talk to, who to trust?

Watching _Miracle on 52 nd Street_ wasn’t Dean’s cup of tea. Neither was _White Christmas_. Denise loved the traditional holiday movies, so he wrapped his arms around her and watched them with her. He kissed her neck when he was trying not to fall asleep. She would rub against him like a cat on a scratching post and he would be fine; hot, hard, and ready to go but he’d hold off until the movie was over. Then he’d tell her he’d enjoyed watching them with her. So it was a little lie, that wasn’t so bad, was it? Then came the day Denise asked Dean why he didn’t like Christmas.

“It’s not that I don’t like Christmas. It’s what it represents. For you, you have these wonderful, happy memories. Santa came. There was a pretty green tree with nice decorations and there were presents under it. I bet you even had a bright red stocking.” Dean’s tone was bitter. “Santa didn’t come to my place. Christmas was time off from school when I didn’t know how I was gonna find food. If someone thought to find a tree, it was some scraggly branch left over on the lot. Nothing you would want in your house. I would hang one of my socks up and hope Santa would stop. Maybe someone would think to put a lottery ticket that they hadn’t already scratched or some gum from Mom’s purse in it, nothing new for me.” Denise refused to tear up. “Gifts? Not a chance. Not enough money. So no. Christmas isn’t special to me. Roman and Seth wanted it to be. I just wanted to go home.”

“This year, we have a home together. And we are going to have a real tree.” Denise whispered against his mouth. “No, I am not going to try to make up for your crappy childhood. That’s not my place. But this Christmas is mine and we are going to make our first Christmas pretty damn fine!” Denise said with confidence.

On their next day off, Dean and Denise flew home and headed for a Christmas tree farm. Denise told Dean they needed two trees, one to be dug up and one to be cut down. He thought she was crazy. Back at the house things got worse. Dean was assigned stringing popcorn and cranberries for the afternoon. “Just how in the hell is this getting me in the Christmas spirit?” he asked. The following day they continued stringing popcorn and cranberries, finally getting enough to use as garland for the smaller tree. Then Dean and Denise decorated the larger tree in the living room. Before he knew it, they were back on the road.

Returning home the following week had them walking into an evergreen smell. Denise thought it was wonderful. Dean thought it smelled like someone had an accident with multiple bottles of PineSol and pine tree air fresheners. Ew. Denise’s next big idea was to make gingerbread houses. Can anyone say epic failure? After the kitchen was covered in flour from ceiling to footboard, including somehow behind the refrigerator and under the stove, the couple looked at their two collapsed houses, wrestling ring the size of a pencil box, and someone’s lifesize rendition of a WWE championship belt that was currently folding over on-to itself. Denise’s claim of “The smell of gingerbread is so Christmassy” wasn’t helping matters.

Traveling home for Christmas turned into a nightmare as well. Overbooked flights, crying children, the dreaded passenger who spilled over into the next seat…if it could go wrong, it seemed to. Trudging up to the door, Dean looked down at Denise. “All I want is peace and quiet. Can I please have that?” As they unlocked the door, local carolers approached. They were singing _Little Drummer Boy_ complete with a drummer. “Of course!” Dean muttered, heading inside and up the stairs. Denise listened to the song before going inside.

Putting the presents that she had for Dean under the tree, Denise left the other stuff for later. Climbing the stairs, she knew that Dean needed love and comfort tonight. Curling up beside him, she offered him the love and security that he didn’t have as a child and hoped that it would be enough.

Christmas morning Denise woke up to find the bed empty. She headed down the stairs, careful not to knock the garland from the bannister. Reaching the first floor, she saw that the tree was on and carols were playing softly. Dean’s packages that had been under the tree were all open and lying on the floor in a pile. Denise walked into the living room, looking around. She was facing the tree when she heard him speak, his voice cracking with emotion. “You have done everything possible to make this the perfect Christmas. The trees, the gingerbread, the presents…” Denise turned around. Dean stood behind her completely covered in wrapping paper. ”I have something for you that you need to unwrap. Something to show you exactly what you mean to me.” His voice broke.

Denise slowly approached the trembling man. Tear by tedious tear she removed the paper, placing a kiss on each part of his newly exposed skin. Forearm, elbow, shoulder, pec, other elbow, knee, bicep, other forearm, hip, Denise was great at tormenting her lover. She whispered against his mouth, “I love you.”

Dean pushed his hands through the remaining paper, hauling her against his body. “Unwrap me.” Denise ripped off the remaining paper. Dean nodded at the t-shirt she’d slept in as he moved behind her. As soon as the shirt was gone, he put a necklace around her neck as he sucked on her ear. “Open it.” he whispered. Denise opened the necklace to see that it was a locket with their pictures. “You are mine. We are each other’s. And now, we will be with you always, nestled right between your breasts.” He moved back around in front of her, allowing her to see that he was wearing the chain that she had purchased. This one had two links intertwined with their names on them. He slid his hands to her shoulders, guiding her to the floor in front of the tree. “I have all I wanted for Christmas.” he whispered.

“All I wanted was you.” she agreed, wrapping her legs around his waist as he slid home.

“Merry Christmas.” 


End file.
